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<title>| 18+ | POISON | SeongJoong | by exotiny</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29561010">| 18+ | POISON | SeongJoong |</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/exotiny/pseuds/exotiny'>exotiny</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Poison [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ATEEZ - Freeform, Angst, Blood, BoyxBoy, Fanfic, Hongjoong, M/M, Smut, Trauma, Violence, kimhongjoong - Freeform, kpop, kpopfanfic, kpopimagine, mafia, mature - Freeform, mentalhealth, original - Freeform, parkseonghwa - Freeform, seonghwa, toxic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:02:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>64,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29561010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/exotiny/pseuds/exotiny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[COMPLETED]<br/>(SPELLING ERRORS PRESENT)<br/>****THIS STORY CONTAINS SMUT, EXTREME VIOLENCE, AND SENSITIVE CONTENT. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK****<br/>THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN FROM JAN 25th, 2020 to MARCH 15th, 2020 ON WATTPAD. THIS IS MY ORIGINAL WORK FROM WATTPAD.</p><p>twitter: _exotiny_<br/>instagram: _exotiny_<br/>wattpad: exotiny<br/>tiktok: _exotiny_<br/>discord: exotiny#0119</p><p>(A/N: This is the second book for Poison. If you have not yet read the first bo</p><p>An investigative reporter, Kim Hongjoong, finds his world spinning out of control when he finds himself in the crosshairs of a notorious character, Park Seonghwa.<br/>Park Seonghwa is a rather wealthy bachelor and businessman and has been known to have close ties with a powerful, dangerous family. What ties he has to them is what Kim Hongjoong is dying to find out.</p><p>This may be the last thing he ever writes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Poison [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171817</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The city was buzzing with vibrant life. The sun was beginning to rest upon the horizon, the sky becoming various shades of colors as the light of day begun to fade out, the temperature from the hot, summer day was decreasing. As crowded as the city of June was, it was truly a beautiful place to dabble with all forms of lifestyles. Here, you could be anyone you wanted, virtually do whatever you wanted, if you knew the right people.</p><p>The kind of lifestyle investigative reporter, Kim Hongjoong, lived was more of a laid-back lifestyle compared to the rest of the people in the city. He ran a well-known website that reported some of the most controversial cases that have happened in June, but under an anonymous profile. When he wasn't working off a tip, he lived alone in a loft apartment downtown with his Siamese cat, Bokki.</p><p>He grew up with moderately wealthy parents. They weren't incredibly rich, but they lived a very comfortable life in the suburbs outside the city. But, he'd been on his own ever since he was a teenager after his parents passed in a tragic car accident. Hongjoong didn't have any living family as he was an only child, both of his parents were both the only children, and his grandparents were gone way before he was even born.</p><p>Hongjoong was always poking his nose into things, uncovering secrets from people without them ever knowing. On his 8th birthday, his mother had gotten him a collectible action figure from one of his favorite comics and asked if he could play with it before his mother even gifted it to him. Turns out, he'd caught her the night before, coming home with it when he was actually supposed to be in bed.</p><p>When he discovered he had a talent for this kind of thing, and there was a job that could accompany it, he immediately jumped at the opportunity.</p><p>One night, he'd received a call from an anonymous person, tipping him off with information about a notorious, common household name, Park Seonghwa, and where he was most likely going to be spotted that night. This was like striking gold for Hongjoong. </p><p>Park Seonghwa was one of the wealthiest bachelors in the city of June, he was also not someone you wanted to mess with, he had a hair-thin temper. He lived in a multi-million dollar home built into the side of a cliff deep in the mountains on the edge of the city. He also owned various big-name nightclubs throughout the city.</p><p>Despite his undeniable success, there were rumors that he had close relations to a large criminal operation, known as the Nims family. They were known to be a dangerous family that basically had the whole city wrapped around their pinkie, even a majority of the law enforcement was on their payroll. </p><p>The wealthy bachelor didn't always have a bad rep, he was previously known for his career as a model, but he didn't last long in that field.</p><p>Many believe Seonghwa got wrapped in the wrong scene with the wrong kind of people, but every time some form of evidence surfaced of him having relations to the family, they would either end up dead or the evidence would "mysteriously disappear." So most didn't dare get involved with the man's business, he was virtually untouchable.</p><p>Hongjoong had been trying to get leads on the guy for the past two years, but he could never get close enough to properly investigate. So when he got this anonymous phone call, he knew he couldn't waste any time, he HAD to seize the opportunity, and collect any information he could regardless of the outcome.</p><p>Seonghwa Park was planning to spend a night at one of his many nightclubs, this one known as The Alley. It was impossible to get in unless you knew the right kind of people. Thankfully, an old friend of Hongjoong's was apart of the security detail there, so all he did was give a single call, and he had his way in. </p><p>Before following up on this tip, he had to fix himself up so he would blend into the crowd and not stick out. Hongjoong showered, styled his candy red hair into a wavy, fluffy mess, and put on the best type of cheap cologne he owned. Hongjoong put on a pair of tight, black jeans, a baggy white shirt, and a black leather jacket with chains attached. He topped off the look with a pair of grey boots with white bottoms.</p><p>After examining himself in the mirror for a moment, he decided he looked good enough to be able to blend without a problem.</p><p>About half an hour later, the red-haired male had arrived at the nightclub. He walked right past the line to the entrance. Due to the call he made just hours before, he was allowed to enter right away.</p><p>When he got inside, the sound of the music consumed his ears, pushing past the grooving bodies inside the club. Everyone there seemed to be fueled by the intoxicating music and an endless supply of expensive designer liquor. </p><p>Hongjoong hadn't been to many nightclubs, nor had he had the desire to ever go to one. This wasn't the kind of scene he belonged in, he didn't care for this kind of lifestyle one bit. He had one priority, and that was to track down the man he came for, desperate to gain any form of information he could.</p><p>The red-haired male spent almost two hours breaking up make-out sessions and interrupting shot contests as he was asking some locals at the nightclub if they had any clue where Park Seonghwa could be. No one seemed to know a thing.</p><p>After deciding to give up, Hongjoong made his way to the bar, sitting upon an empty stool as he ordered himself a drink.</p><p>Just then, he felt someone come up close behind him, feeling the warm breath on his left ear.</p><p>"I hear you've been looking for me," An unknown, smooth voice speaking into Hongjoong's ear.</p><p>Hongjoong felt a cold chill run down the length of his spine, almost holding his breath for a moment. The man's voice was almost like melting butter, but there was a certain edge to his tone that made all of his nerve endings jump with electricity.</p><p>He slowly spun himself around on the stool, realizing he was coming face to face with the man he had been looking for all night, the one and the only, Park Seonghwa.</p><p>Hongjoong never intended to meet the man, yet here he stood less than a foot away.</p><p>The taller male was dressed in a black turtle neck and a leather jacket, black dress pants, and a pair of black leather shoes that probably cost more than Hongjoong's whole apartment. His platinum blonde hair was styled in a messy, yet elegant fashion.</p><p>Seonghwa leaned against the bar, tilting his head slightly as he observed the tinier male in front of him. A slight smirk curled the corner of his mouth as he looked Hongjoong in the eyes.</p><p>"You're not a local here... I surely would've recognized that candy-red hair." Seonghwa began. "You know me, yet I have no idea who YOU are."</p><p>Hongjoong felt slightly intimidated by Seonghwa's presence, swallowing hard before he could even say anything.</p><p>"I'm uh... Kim Hongjoong," Hongjoong said loud enough so the other male could hear him over the bouncing music and held out a hand for him to shake. "I've heard a lot of good things about you. I wanted the honor of meeting you in the flesh."</p><p>Seonghwa glanced down at the male's hand, then looked back up at him. "You must think I'm stupid, yeah?" He grabbed Hongjoong's hand and laid it back in his lap.</p><p>"N-No!" Hongjoong shook his head, putting on a bright smile. "Of course not! I'm serious!"</p><p>Seonghwa let out a subtle chuckle, rolling his eyes. "Good things, you say? A random nobody wanting so desperately to meet with the most 'notorious' man in the city out of honor? Hardly the kind of story I'd believe." He said as he got dangerously close to the red-haired male. "What is it you REALLY want?"</p><p>Hongjoong blinked as he felt his heart pound in his chest from intimidation and fear. "I-I..." He had no idea where to begin, Seonghwa had just read him like an open book.</p><p>A mischievous grin grew upon the blonde-haired male's lips, he seemed to be greatly amused with all of this.</p><p>"You're one of those investigative reporters right? A detective?" Seonghwa questioned, moving even closer.</p><p>In response to this, Hongjoong scooted back on the stool to move away from him, but in the process, he'd slipped off the stool.</p><p>Without hesitation, Seonghwa caught hold of the smaller male to prevent him from falling, then pulled him up close to his chest as he looked deep into Hongjoong's eyes.</p><p>Hongjoong just froze for a moment, blinking in complete shock. He finally pulled free from the blonde-haired male's grasp, swallowing hard.</p><p>"I-I... I need to go. I shouldn't be here." Hongjoong said with a panicked tone, placing some money on the bar for the drink he never drank, then quickly rushing through the crowd towards the exit. He had to get away from Seonghwa as fast as he could. Hongjoong thought he could handle something like this, but the man was way more intimidating face to face than he was pictured in the media. He knew he shouldn't have even gotten involved.</p><p>Seonghwa raised a brow as he watched the red-haired male scurry away from him. Soon after Hongjoong left, one of Seonghwa's men approached him at the bar.</p><p>"Find out everything you can about this Hongjoong Kim. I wanna know who he is, where he lives, and every detail about his background. Go." Seonghwa muttered the order into the man's ear, then sending him off to do what he was told.</p><p>Seonghwa leaned back against the bar with a slight smile, observing the crowd in his nightclub. "We'll meet again sooner than you think, little one..."</p><p>____________________</p><p>A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER...<br/>
____________________</p><p>Hongjoong had gone out to the supermarket to pick up a few things to get him through the rest of the week. Upon arriving at home again, he held onto all of the bags in one arm, struggling with his keys to unlock the door to his apartment. He soon got the door unlocked, turning the door handle and walking inside his apartment. He kicked the door shut as he grunted frustratedly.</p><p>Hongjoong carried the bags to the kitchen, setting them on the counter. He then heard a sound coming from his office, but Bokki was curled up on the couch asleep, so it wasn't his cat. He seemed to freeze in place for a brief moment, peering down the hallway that led down to his office.</p><p>"Is someone there?" He called out cautiously, slowly making his way down the hallway as he saw his office door was slightly ajar. "You're not supposed to be here. If you don't leave I'll call the cops."</p><p>When he pushed the door open, who he saw sitting upon his desk made his heart sink straight to the floor. A blonde-haired male turned and looked at Hongjoong with a wide smile, Park Seonghwa.</p><p>"So my intel was right then," Seonghwa said as he stood from the desk.</p><p>Hongjoong stumbled back a bit, a mixture of fear and shock plastered on his face. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment?"</p><p>Seonghwa tilted his head with a subtle shrug, slowly approaching the smaller male. "You left me high and dry, in my own club. I found that very rude of you to do." </p><p>"I-I'm sorry... I really am. L-Let me make up for it. You're not going to hurt me, right?" Hongjoong spoke frantically, taking a few steps back when Seonghwa started to approach.</p><p>Seonghwa gave a playful frown and he stopped in his tracks. "I'm truly hurt that you think I would have any intentions of hurting a potentially valuable asset," He said with a soft sigh.</p><p>Hongjoong made a weird face, squinting his eyes slightly with suspicion. "Wait... What do you mean by 'valuable asset?' What are you getting at?"</p><p>"Well, upon further investigation of your character, you run one of the biggest investigative websites on the internet. You've anonymously cracked cases that the best of the best couldn't even do themselves. I truly admire your work." Seonghwa said with a smile, folding his hands at his waist. "I've come to offer a proposition to you."</p><p>"A proposition? What kind of proposition?" Hongjoong sounded a bit uneasy.</p><p>"I want you to work for me, aid me in times of tracking down essential information." Seonghwa approached the smaller male. "Your paycheck would have numbers that most can only dream of."</p><p>Hongjoong let out a small scoff. "And if I decide to refuse your offer."</p><p>The expression upon Seonghwa's face darkened as he continued to approach Hongjoong, backing him against the wall slowly as he leaned his face down close.</p><p>"This is an offer that you CAN'T refuse... And if you do..." Seonghwa let out a soft chuckle, taking his finger and tracing Hongjoong's jawline. "I'd hate to see this beautifully soft skin penetrated so gruesomely."</p><p>Hongjoong swallowed dryly at the threat the blonde-haired male just made, a shiver going down his spine as Seonghwa grazed his jawline.</p><p>"A-Alright, fine. I'll do anything you need me to do, just tell me what." Hongjoong choked out, turning his face away from Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa smiled in content, taking a step away from him. He removed a black business card from his pants pocket, waving it in the air a bit.</p><p>"I expect to see you at this address tomorrow, not a single second afternoon. Please, for your sake, DON'T be late." Seonghwa said in a slightly warning tone, then set the business card upon the desk. "I'll see you then."</p><p>The blonde-haired male gave a cocky wink, then exited the room, leaving the apartment without another word.</p><p>Hongjoong leaned against the wall in shock, looking at the black card on his desk. He'd gotten mixed up with the most dangerous man in the city of June, and it was not going to end well if he didn't comply. After processing everything that just happened, he'd gotten an idea. </p><p>I can work for him, but also gather the right information I need to bring him down to the ground. This is the opportunity I needed. Hongjoong thought to himself, sighing out as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the dangerous world he'd gotten sucked into.</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, the warm feel of the sun peeking through the curtains upon Hongjoong's face slowly awoke him. He opened his eyes, immediately squinting from the intensely bright light. Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, he pressed the power button to turn on his screen, seeing his phone had flooded with notifications. Confused, the red-haired male slowly sat up in bed, resting his back against his headboard.</p><p>Most of the notifications he had gotten were local news updates from Twitter, so of course, that was the first thing he decided to investigate. It probably wasn't anything too important, a robbery went wrong, housefire, it could've been anything, but being an investigative reporter, he was compelled to keep up with any kind of news.</p><p>Opening the app, he began scrolling through his newsfeed, immediately freezing when he came across a certain article. The thumbnail that was displayed was a picture that must've been snapped that one night at The Alley because it captured the exact moment Seonghwa Park had Hongjoong against his chest after he fell off of the barstool. The article was titled, "Seonghwa Park, Notorious Businessman, Reportedly Involved With A New Male Partner?"</p><p>"Oh no... No, no, no, no..." He said in a panicked tone, pressing on the article to see what it said. "You've gotta be fucking joking."</p><p>As he read through it, he saw that there was a video that someone had taken of Seonghwa as he was leaving Hongjoong's apartment building just the day before. Hongjoong rubbed his face, then stumbled out of bed quickly.</p><p>"This cannot be happening right now," Hongjoong said to himself, quickly throwing on a change of clothes, not even bothering to fix his messy hair.</p><p>Hongjoong needed to confront Seonghwa as quickly as possible, he couldn't allow these articles to keep circulating the internet like a viral plague, and Seonghwa was the only person he knew that would possibly be able to fix that. Once he'd gotten ready, he grabbed his car keys from the bowl on his coffee table and grabbed his jacket as he threw it on. He left his apartment quickly, darting down the hallway to the elevator.</p><p>Once the elevator reached the bottom floor, the soft ding rang and the doors opened. A flood of reporters was waiting down in the lobby area, and once they caught sight of Hongjoong, he could feel his heart sink.</p><p>"Fuck..." Hongjoong muttered under his breath.</p><p>They came rushing at him, flashing their cameras in his face and asking a million questions at once. He didn't have time for all of this, he just shoved through the thick crowd of reporters to get past them. Once he had gotten through the crowd, he broke into a sprint towards the doors of the lobby and burst through the doors onto the sidewalk. Hongjoong had to dodge around a fellow pedestrian on the sidewalk to avoid colliding into them, then continued running down the street towards the parking garage just a block down from the apartment.</p><p>Once he got to the parking garage, he didn't have time to take the elevator, he just bolted up 5 flights of stairs before ever getting to the floor that his car was parked on. He made way to his car, quickly getting inside, turning on the engine, and typing Seonghwa's address into his navigation system. He pulled out of the parking space, making his way down each level to get to the ground floor. After he pulled out of the parking garage, the tires of his car made ear bursting squeals as he sped off down the street.</p><p>About an hour of weaving in and out of traffic, he finally made it onto the private road that leads deeper into the mountains, and to Seonghwa Park's estate. Another thirty minutes went by, and Hongjoong came to a halt in front of a large golden gate. He was shocked to see how elegant and massive the estate was. It was a modern looking home, with large windows that seemed to replace all of the walls, white rose bushes planted all over the place.</p><p>Two large men strapped with guns began approaching the car, and this made Hongjoong panic even more. He gripped ahold of his steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were starting to turn white. One of the men rounded the car to the driver's side as the other one seemed to check to see if anyone else was in the car.</p><p>The man tapped his pistol on the glass of the driver's side door, signaling for the red-haired male to roll down his window. Hesitating momentarily, Hongjoong finally decided to roll down the window as he was instructed.</p><p>"What are you doing here? Mr. Park doesn't have any appointments until later today. You need to leave." The man barked, a look of intensity on his face.</p><p>"Wait, wait! I-I was given this!" Hongjoong said as he quickly pulled the black business card from his jacket pocket, handing it to the brute guard. "I-I'm Hongjoong Kim. I'm supposed to be working with Mr. Park."</p><p>The guard inspected the card, then shot a look at the other guard when he heard the red-haired male say his name, they both seemed to laugh upon learning this.</p><p>"Oh, you'll be working with him, alright." The guard said through amused laughs. He then brought a walkie-talkie to his face to order for the gate to be opened. "You can enter."</p><p>Hongjoond frowned slightly at the guard's remark, having no clue what he meant by that. Just then the gates began to slowly open and Hongjoong was able to pull through. He came to a large circle drive, parking his car and turning off the engine. Hongjoong got out of the car, shoving his car keys into his pocket as he made his way towards the large front doors of this gargantuan home.</p><p>"God... How much money does this guy have? There's no way all this money is just from modeling and nightclubs." Hongjoong muttered to himself as he stopped at the doors.</p><p>Hongjoong reached out, pressing the doorbell softly and hearing a faint ding from the inside. Soon enough, a small woman came to the door tilting her head.</p><p>"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Park?" The woman questioned, tilting her head.</p><p>"Uh... Yes. I was supposed to come to see him about some work. Is he around?" Hongjoong asked with a bit of nervousness.</p><p>The woman nodded, opening the door wider as she stepped to the side. "Yes, I'll take you to him, please come in."</p><p>Hongjoong stepped inside, and the woman closed the door behind him. As he looked around, he seemed awestruck of the elegant decor of the home. It was something straight out of those luxury home catalogs. Every piece of decor had to be over one thousand dollars or more.</p><p>"Please, sir. This way." The woman insisted as he began walking down a large hallway.</p><p>"Ah, sorry. I'm coming." Hongjoong called after her, quickly following up on her heels.</p><p>Hongjoong couldn't help but glance around at everything as he followed. Finally, she led him outside to the back where a large in-ground pool laid. It even had one of those bars that were inside the pool, set dead center in the water.</p><p>The woman then left him there, heading back inside. Hongjoong tried to stop her to ask where Seonghwa was, but she'd already gone. When he turned back around, he took notice to a tall male stepping out of the water, quickly realizing it was Seonghwa. The red-haired male swallowed dryly as he couldn't help but notice just how flawless this man really was. His body was beautifully toned, and his proportions were so well balanced. Hongjoong quickly cleared his throat as he looked away.</p><p>When Seonghwa came out of the water, he'd noticed Hongjoong standing there patiently. He couldn't help but smirk a little bit, grabbing his towel from the lounge chair, and laying it across his shoulders as he approached the smaller male.</p><p>"When I said don't be late, I wasn't expecting you to be THIS early," Seonghwa said with a chuckle, stopping just a foot away from Hongjoong.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a small scoff when Seonghwa got close, quickly taking a step back. This man had no respect for personal space whatsoever.</p><p>"Have you even seen the articles that are out right now? Do you know what people are saying about us?" Hongjoong said as he looked up at Seonghwa.</p><p>"That you're supposedly my new lover? Of course, I have." The blonde-haired male said with an amused laugh. "Lovely, isn't it?"</p><p>Hongjoong blinked a few times before a deep frown grew on his face. "No, actually, it is FAR from lovely. I just got mobbed by bloodthirsty reporters at my own apartment. How can you be so nonchalant about this?"</p><p>Seonghwa rolled his eyes. "And? I don't see how that's a big deal for you. You clearly LOVE attention regarding your website. Thousands of people support you and the work that you do."</p><p>"I do my work strictly anonymous for my own safety so that things like this don't happen, and I don't paint a target on my head." Hongjoong was quick to snap back. "You need to take care of this. Get these articles taken down now."</p><p>Seonghwa shot an intense look at Hongjoong, his whole demeanor changing in a snap. He got closer to the smaller male, his face just inches away.</p><p>"You don't tell me what I need to do. If you give me an attitude like that, I'm afraid I'll be forced to nullify our agreement." Seonghwa lowered his voice, a wicked smile curling upon his lips. "The ice your treading on is incredibly thin. I'd watch where you take your next step."</p><p>Hongjoong stared up at him for a while, seeming to flinch slightly at the taller male's threat. He was shocked by how quickly this man could change from moderately tolerable to down-right terrifying.</p><p>The red-haired male decided to rethink his approach here. He couldn't risk blowing everything he had planned.</p><p>"I-I... I apologize. I seemed to have forgotten my place." He said as he did everything in his power to avert the taller male's gaze.</p><p>Seonghwa's demeanor shifted once again and he backed off. He put on a charming smile, pleased with the response he got.</p><p>"I'm glad you understand where you stand," Seonghwa said as he took in a deep breath. "Follow me inside, we'll continue this discussion after I've changed into something more appropriate."</p><p>Hongjoong gave a subtle nod, following behind Seonghwa as they both went inside.</p><p>"You, um... You have a beautiful home, Mr. Park." Hongjoong began with a quiet voice. "I've never seen anything like it."</p><p>Seonghwa let out a chuckle. "Well, of course, you haven't, I designed this place myself." He said as he led the red-haired male to his bedroom.</p><p>His bedroom was darker than the rest of the house, not a single window in sight. The decor of the room had a red and black theme, even the very walls were painted a shade of crimson. A large oak desk sat diagonally in the corner. It almost looked like a vampire's torture chamber.</p><p>The taller male removed the towel from around his shoulders, tossing it onto the black satin sheets of his bed before making his way to his closet, which seemed to take up one whole wall itself.</p><p>"Uh... Should I leave you to-" Before Hongjoong could finish what he was saying, the blonde-haired male faced him and shamelessly dropped the swimming shorts he had on.</p><p>Hongjoong dropped his mouth open in utter shock, gasping loudly. He couldn't help but stare for a moment, the man before him was definitely packing a lot down there. He suddenly snapped out of it, letting out a loud groan.</p><p>"Yah! What the hell? Let me know when you're NOT naked!" Hongjoong cried out, deciding to leave the room quickly.</p><p>Seonghwa busted up with a laugh, clapping his hands together.</p><p>"I genuinely enjoy playing with this one. So pure." Seonghwa muttered to himself, then turned back to his closet as he put on a decent pair of clothes.</p><p>"Alright, you baby. I'm clothed, come back in here." Seonghwa barked, brushing back his damp, blonde hair.</p><p>Hongjoong hesitantly crept back into the room, letting out a sigh of relief once he saw that the taller male had clothed himself.</p><p>"Did you like what you saw before you ran out so quickly?" Seonghwa taunted and turned to Hongjoong with a cocky smirk on his lips.</p><p>Hongjoong frowned slightly. "Was I supposed to? I don't have an interest in the same sex." He protested the remark Seonghwa made.</p><p>"Oh... You don't? Then why is it that you look at me like I'm a tasty snack any time you see me bare?" Seonghwa pestered with a shrug, slowly coming close to the smaller male. "Besides, that's what they've all said before they've had a taste of what I have to offer."</p><p>Hongjoong could feel his cheeks flare-up, nearly choking on the air he breathed. He opened his mouth to protest once again, but nothing came out.</p><p>"Look, now even your cheeks match your hair color." Seonghwa chuckled lowly, reaching out a hand to hook a single finger beneath Hongjoong's chin. "You're so cute..."</p><p>Hongjoong suddenly backed away, gradually becoming angry with Seonghwa's unnecessary behavior.</p><p>"I mean no disrespect, Mr. Park, but I-" Hongjoong was cut off as he spoke.</p><p>"Please, cut the formality. Call me Seonghwa. Mr. Park is my father, for Christ's sake." Seonghwa said with an eye roll.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a sigh. "Seonghwa... You wanted to use me as an asset, to help you track down information, correct? I'm not here to play games with you, I'm strictly here on a professional level."</p><p>Seonghwa made a playful pout, placing one of his hands upon his hip. "You truly are no fun... But alright, I'll respect you on a professional level then." Seonghwa said before walking away to his desk.</p><p>He sat upon the leather chair at his desk, grabbing a pair of reading glasses before opening his laptop. Seonghwa snapped his fingers, pointing to the chair across from him for Hongjoong to sit.</p><p>Hongjoong then walked over to the desk, running a hand through his messy hair. He sat down in the seat slowly, leaning back into the chair.</p><p>"You're in luck because I already have a job that needs to be done for me," Seonghwa said quietly, seeming to be pulling up something on his computer.</p><p>"Alright... Well, what is it then?" Hongjoong questioned, observing the male with his hands folded in his lap.</p><p>"There's a man by the name of Kendrick Downes, a well-known attorney for the Downes &amp; Smith law firm downtown." Seonghwa began, printing something from his computer.</p><p>Once the printer was done, he removed the piece of paper, handing it over to Hongjoong, looking at him with a serious look. The paper had a photo of the man and a basic background report.</p><p>"I want you to track him down for me. He owes us a big lump sum of money, and we're tired of his excuses." Seonghwa leaned forward on his desk. "And I need that information before the end of today."</p><p>Hongjoong looked at the paper, his brows furrowing slightly before he looked back at Seonghwa.</p><p>"Who's "us"? And why by the end of today? It could take at least a few days to get the information you need." Hongjoong tried to reason with the blonde-haired male.</p><p>"You don't need to worry about that. That's information you don't need to know yet." Seonghwa sighed out softly, the pointed a finger at Hongjoong. "You're the best at what you do... If you can't get me this information by tonight, I WILL be forced to move on to better sources. Which, means you'll be nullified immediately. Do you understand me?" Seonghwa barked, flashing an unsettling smile.</p><p>Hongjoong flinched slightly, then nodded in understanding. Every threat Seonghwa made on his life made him more and more uncomfortable with working for him.</p><p>"Alright, fine. I'll have it to you by the end of the day." Hongjoong agreed. "BUT, in exchange for you calling off the press and the rumors."</p><p>Seonghwa tilted his head as he stared at the red-haired male for a long time. Normally he would've snapped off, but surprisingly he didn't this time.</p><p>"Alright. We have a deal then. Now, get out." Seonghwa said with a simple shrug, turning back to his computer.</p><p>Hongjoong smiled slightly as he got up from the chair. "Thank you." He said softly before making his way out of the room quickly.</p><p>Seonghwa looked up from his computer as he watched the smaller male leave. He let out a soft sigh as the room was filled with silence. Resting his elbows upon the desk, he held his head in his hands, shaking his head softly.</p><p>****THE STORY WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[Warning: sensitive content]</p><p>As the day began to transition from light to dark, Seonghwa was becoming very impatient as he waited for Hongjoong to report back to him. He was beginning to believe that the faith he had in Hongjoong wasn't what he had anticipated.</p><p>The blonde-haired male sat at the large oak desk in the corner of his room, tapping on the wood softly as he stared blankly at his computer screen. Just as he grabbed ahold of the telephone beside his computer, someone came barging into his room. Seonghwa looked up, a pleased look flooding over his face when he saw Hongjoong coming towards his desk in a rush.</p><p>"I'm truly impressed with your work," Seonghwa said with a grin, resting his elbows upon his desk and interlocking his fingers together.</p><p>Hongjoong huffed out once he stopped in front of Seonghwa's desk, handing him a large yellow envelope. "Everything you need to know about Kendrick Downes is in that file. Everything from his birth records to what he had for breakfast this morning. Happy now?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm more than happy, I'm ecstatic. I knew you were the right person for this job, well done." Seonghwa praised as he opened the envelope to go over everything that it contained. "I suppose you've earned the bonus for your first job."</p><p>"Wait... Bonus?" Hongjoong raised a brow, tilting his head curiously.</p><p>Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong like he was stupid. "Yes, a bonus. Did you really think I wasn't going to pay you for your services?" He said with a slight scoff.</p><p>The blonde-haired male set down the envelope, reached down to open the top drawer of his desk, then pulled out a single check and held it out to Hongjoong.</p><p>Hongjoong hesitated for a moment, sighing out once he took the check from him. When he inspected the amount printed on the check, he almost passed out right then and there. His mouth dropped open with a frown, looking back at Seonghwa completely baffled.</p><p>"Is this fraudulent? This is some sort of test right?" Hongjoong questioned. letting out a breathless laugh. "You're fucking with me, you have to be."</p><p>"I promise you that check is entirely valid," Seonghwa said with a shrug. "Every cent of it is yours. I don't play around when it comes to money, you can trust me on that."</p><p>"Ten thousand dollars? Just for some information on one guy?" Hongjoong shook his head slightly, he couldn't believe this at all.</p><p>"If you would like me to void the check, I am more than happy to do so." Seonghwa titled his head slightly, holding out his hand as if to take back the check.</p><p>"N-No!" Hongjoong exclaimed, then quickly looked at the ground. "I mean, I'm extremely grateful for this. I didn't expect this high of an amount just for one job."</p><p>"Well hopefully this kind of compensation will keep you motivated to work for me faithfully," Seonghwa said with a subtle nod, taking his hand back. "You truly are a valuable asset for this kind of business."</p><p>Hongjoong held the check with both hands, just staring at the amount as he fell silent. He came from a decently wealthy family, but none of his family's money was inherited when they passed, all of his family's money had been left to a big charity for the homeless. Hongjoong had struggled financially for so long, this was a huge relief to him, he looked as if he were about to cry.</p><p>Seonghwa noticed tears beginning to well up in the eyes of the red-haired male, furrowing his brows in confusion. He stood up from his desk slowly as Hongjoong began to let out soft sniffles.</p><p>"What's your problem? Why are you crying?" Seonghwa never usually cared about things like this, but something inside him felt compelled to find out what was wrong with the smaller male standing before him.</p><p>"I-I... I-I'm sorry." Hongjoong said softly, wiping a couple of tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. "This just helped me a lot in more ways than you could imagine."</p><p>Seonghwa rounded his desk to approach Hongjoong slowly. He sat on the edge of his desk, putting a hand on the smaller male's shoulder.</p><p>"You don't need to get all emotional on me. Please, I'm absolutely horrible with things like this." Seonghwa said with a slight chuckle. "The more work you do for me, the more I'll be willing to assist you with any financial problems you have, sincerely." This was the first time the blonde-haired male seemed to soften.</p><p>Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa as he put on a smile, the tears in his eyes drying up. This was a side of this notorious man that probably no one had ever seen, it was almost eye-opening for Hongjoong. This man wasn't ALWAYS cutthroat and dangerous.</p><p>"I don't know how to thank you," Hongjoong said, shaking his head.</p><p>"Have a drink with me and I'll consider that good enough." Seonghwa pulled his hand away from Hongjoong's shoulder, folding his hands at his waist as he tilted his head.</p><p>Hongjoong stared at the blonde-haired male for a moment, shoving the check into the back pocket of his jeans. After thinking about it for a while, he finally nodded his head.</p><p>"Alright... A single drink, though. I still need to drive home afterward." Hongjoong agreed, chewing on his bottom lip softly out of habit.</p><p>Seonghwa flashed a cocky smile, standing up from his desk. "Who said I was letting you go home? I haven't had my fun yet." He teased, walking past him as he began to exit his bedroom. "Follow me."</p><p>Hongjoong let out an annoyed exhale, shaking his head. "This damn guy... He goes from sentimental, right back to his intoxicatingly shameless attitude." He muttered under his breath before he followed behind Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa led the smaller male to the other side of the house to the parlor. The parlor was bigger than two of Hongjoong's apartment put together, a whole wall lined with expensive designer liquor to the ceiling. The bar itself was somehow made entirely out of glass, you could see every fixture running through it, seated with modern style, black barstools. Hongjoong shook his head slightly as he looked around the room.</p><p>"I swear, you have way too much money," Hongjoong said with a laugh, walking over to the bar and sitting upon one of the stools. "How the hell did you get a whole bar made out of glass like this?" He questioned as he ran his fingers over the fine details of the bar.</p><p>Seonghwa grinned as he rounded the bar, grabbing two glasses from beneath the bar and filling them with ice. "When you know the right kind of people like I do, anything is possible." He said as he grabbed a whiskey decanter filled with the caramel-colored liquor, pouring an equal amount in both glasses.</p><p>The blonde-haired male slid one of the glasses in front of Hongjoong, then picked up his own glass as he took a sip. Hongjoong picked up the glass, raising it to his lips and took a drink from it. The liquor was so strong it caused Hongjoong to wince as he swallowed, coughing soon after.</p><p>"What the hell is this?" Hongjoong choked, putting a hand to his chest as he felt the burn travel down into his stomach.</p><p>Seonghwa laughed at the smaller male's reaction. "It's whiskey, imported from a private distillery overseas. It's good, right?" Seonghwa said as he tossed back the rest of his drink, completely unfazed.</p><p>Hongjoong furrowed his brows a bit as he shook his head. "The flavor is great, but this is too strong for me to be drinking right now."</p><p>Seonghwa rolled his eyes, grabbing the other male's drink in his hand, then rounded the bar to sit next to Hongjoong. "Come on. You already took a drink, might as well finish the glass." He said as he raised the glass to Hongjoong's lips, flashing a charismatic smile.</p><p>Hongjoong looked between Seonghwa and the glass before him. There was no use in refusing because the blonde-haired male would make him drink it one way or another. Hongjoong grabbed ahold of the glass, deciding to quickly toss the rest of the strong liquor down his throat. Once again, he winced and coughed from the intensity of the drink.</p><p>"There's no way that's safe to drink," Hongjoong said with a soft chuckle, shaking his head as he groaned from the lingering taste.</p><p>"Probably not, but you can't find a better whiskey anywhere else in the world," Seonghwa said as he proceeded to pour himself another glass. "You sure you can't just have one more? It's not that late, you can drink with me and we can discuss the future of your service with me. I'll have someone drive you home later."</p><p>Hongjoong thought about it for a moment. This would actually be a good time to get to know this man better. Maybe Seonghwa would let something slip about potentially being linked to the Nims family.</p><p>"Alright, I guess I could have another," Hongjoong said with a little nod, holding out his glass.</p><p>Seonghwa seemed pleased with this answer, pouring the red-haired male another glass with a smile.</p><p>For the next few hours, they continued to have drink after drink, nearly finishing the decanter that was originally filled to the brim when they started. Seonghwa seemed to only be buzzed, hardly affected by the strong liquor, but that wasn't the case for Hongjoong, he was clearly intoxicated at this point.</p><p>Seonghwa noticed that the smaller male was nearing black-out drunk, and he decided this was the time to put away the decanter. "I think we've both had enough to drink for tonight. I'll get one of my men to take you home." He began, grabbing the decanter as he stood up.</p><p>Before the blonde-haired male could even take a step, Hongjoong reached out and grabbed ahold of his wrist.</p><p>"Wait, wait... No, not yet, just one more." Hongjoong made a pouty face as he slurred his words.</p><p>"No, you've had more than enough. I don't think you'll even have any recollection of what we've talked about in the morning." Seonghwa sighed out as he pulled his wrist away, rounding the counter to put the decanter back on the shelf.</p><p>Hongjoong got up and followed closely behind him, grabbing ahold of Seonghwa's arm this time. "You're no fun. Just put it down, one more, please."</p><p>Seonghwa shot a look at him as he yanked his arm away. "I suggest you stop before you overstep any boundaries." He snapped at the smaller male, then set the decanter back where he got it from on the shelf.</p><p>"Boundaries? You realize I make a living crossing boundaries I'm not supposed to." Hongjoong said with a stupid laugh, clearly unfazed by Seonghwa's sudden change of behavior. "Just like I'm gonna cross every possible boundary to expose the person you really are." He accidentally let those words slip, suddenly falling quiet when he realized what he had just said.</p><p>"You what?" Seonghwa said in a low tone, the look in his eyes becoming dangerous. "Repeat what you just said to me." He demanded, getting closer to Hongjoong.</p><p>Hongjoong backed away quickly, jumping slightly when his lower back touched the bar, Seonghwa had him backed against it. He swallowed hard, his heart in his chest was threatening to break through his ribcage and burst right through his chest.</p><p>"I-I..." Hongjoong couldn't even get the words out of his mouth, he knew he was screwed at this point.</p><p>Seonghwa licked his bottom lip, suddenly throwing a hand up and closing it around Hongjoong's throat. He didn't apply enough pressure to choke him, but just enough to hold him in place.</p><p>"Repeat. What. You. Just. Said." Seonghwa growled as his face was just centimeters from Hongjoong's face.</p><p>Hongjoong just shook his head, his eyes wide with fear as he stared back at the taller male. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean what I said."</p><p>"You're a fucking liar... And if there's one thing I hate most in the world, it's someone who lies directly to my face." Seonghwa shook his head, letting out a cynical laugh. "Now I get to have my fun." He threatened with a growl.</p><p>Before Hongjoong could even think, Seonghwa had let go of his neck and lifted him over his shoulder, beginning to walk out of the parlor. He resisted in the male's grip, but each time he did, Seonghwa dug his fingertips into his side roughly causing him to cry out in pain.</p><p>Seonghwa carried him to a room that was on the opposite side of the home. It seemed to be one of the many spare bedrooms, but it wasn't just any regular bedroom. Leather masks, whips, riding-crops, wooden paddles, and various forms of restraints were hung all over the walls on full display. There was a bed in the middle of the room that was lined with black satin sheets with decorative pillows to match.</p><p>Seonghwa threw the smaller male onto the bed roughly, clenching his jaw. Hongjoong tried to escape from his grasp, but Seonghwa was quick to catch him. The blonde-haired male pushed Hongjoong onto his back then quickly got on top of him, pinning him down with one of his knees digging into his chest. Hongjoong cried out in pain, then felt his wrists being grabbed roughly and forced above his head into metal handcuffs that were attached to the iron-barred headboard.</p><p>Seonghwa got off of Hongjoong, leaning his face close as he looked him dead in the eyes. "You'll stay here until I say you can leave." He growled in anger before getting off the bed.</p><p>"W-Wait! You can't just leave me here!" Hongjoong exclaimed as he watched Seonghwa storm out of the room. "Seonghwa! Seonghwa! Let me go! Please!" He cried out in a panicked voice.</p><p>Hongjoong struggled against the handcuffs for a long time, desperately trying to free himself. He continued to struggle until his wrists were completely raw. Hongjoong didn't stop resisting against the metal cuffs until he felt a warm liquid begin to run down his forearms, and that's when he realized his wrists began to bleed. Hongjoong could never stand the sight of blood, so when he saw this he just passed out cold. With the high amount of alcohol in his system, he didn't even wake back up.</p><p>_____________________</p><p>Next morning</p><p>_____________________</p><p>When morning broke the next morning, Seonghwa had changed out of his nightclothes, putting on a black, long-sleeved turtle neck and a pair of dark blue pants.</p><p>Once he was dressed, he decided he should probably check on Hongjoong, whom he'd restrained in the room down the hall from his own bedroom. He walked down the hall towards the room, stopping at the door as he knocked gently.</p><p>"Yah... Are you awake yet?" Seonghwa questioned, pausing for an answer.</p><p>Seonghwa waited for a while, frowning when he didn't hear a single sound coming from inside the room. He then turned the knob and barged into the room.</p><p>"Yah! What are you-" Seonghwa quickly fell silent when he saw the sight in front of him.</p><p>Seonghwa saw the blood-stained handcuffs and dried streams of blood going down Hongjoong's wrists. The smaller male wasn't moving, he couldn't really tell if he was breathing or not.</p><p>"Oh god... Please, no." Seonghwa darted over to the bed, crawling onto the bed next to Hongjoong, quickly putting his fingers to his neck to check for a pulse.</p><p>Seonghwa sighed out in relief as he felt a strong pulse still coming from the smaller male, Hongjoong didn't lose a lot of blood. He then grabbed the keys to the handcuffs, undoing the cuffs to free Hongjoong's wrists. He swallowed dryly at the sight of how bad the wounds were on Hongjoong's wrists.</p><p>"This was not my intention..." Seonghwa sighed out, gently picking up the red-haired male in his arms, and carrying him out of the room.</p><p>Seonghwa carried him into the large bathroom that was inside his bedroom. There was a large, clawfoot tub in the middle of the bathroom, in which Seonghwa set the smaller male down gently against the side of it.</p><p>He turned the knob of the faucet, running a bath of warm water. Seonghwa proceeded to undress Hongjoong down to nothing, then picked him up and lowered him softly into the water. The blonde-haired male grabbed a large white sponge from the side of the tub, getting it wet in the water as he grabbed one of Hongjoong's wrists, starting to gently clean the blood off of his wrists. Seonghwa was riddled with guilt, and he hardly ever felt bad about the things he did. He hated this feeling.</p><p>Soon enough, Hongjoong began to wake up, his head pounding intensely to the pace of his heartbeat. He groaned softly while opening his eyes, his vision struggling to make out where he was at first. He soon noticed he was naked in a bathtub, and his wrists stung immensely as he felt someone scrubbing his wrists.</p><p>"What the-?" Hongjoong looked over, his eyes widening as he saw Seonghwa cleaning dried blood from wounds upon his own wrists. "What the fuck?!"</p><p>Seonghwa immediately backed off a bit, looking at the ground with shame. "I-I... I'm sorry. I got out of hand, this wasn't my intention."</p><p>"What the fuck are you talking about? What happened last night? Why am I naked in the bath? Why are you cleaning WOUNDS on my wrists?" Hongjoong demanded frantically as he sat up straight to look at Seonghwa.</p><p>"You got extremely drunk last night and confessed to me that you were planning to exploit me for who I really was," Seonghwa said as he gritted his teeth slightly, looking back at Hongjoong. "I lost my temper and handcuffed you to a bed so you couldn't leave. I left you there, and when I checked on you this morning, you must've struggled so much that you sliced your wrists open. I was cleaning you off."</p><p>"You HANDCUFFED me to a BED?!" Hongjoong exclaimed, shaking his head. "What the hell?"</p><p>Seonghwa frowned at Hongjoong deeply. "If you hadn't threatened me with exploitation, I wouldn't have lost my temper."</p><p>"I was drunk! I had no idea what I was saying or doing! Don't blame me for this!" Hongjoong raised his voice, attempting to get out of the tub.</p><p>Seonghwa reached out a hand and forced Hongjoong to sit back in the tub. "You're not going anywhere. I'm in the middle of cleaning your wrists, now shut the FUCK UP and sit there. I don't wanna hear you bark anymore." Seonghwa snapped, grabbing Hongjoong's other wrist to clean the blood off of it.</p><p>"Don't touch me! You've done enough! I'm leaving!" Hongjoong tried once again to get out, but this time he was pushed back pretty hard. "Ow! What the fuck?!"</p><p>Seonghwa shot him a look and got close in his face. "I said... Shut the fuck up and sit right fucking there. I'm trying to make up for the mistake I made. Now please, stop resisting." His tone was surprisingly soft and calm despite the words he was saying.</p><p>Hongjoong froze when the blonde-haired male got close to his face. As he was told, he finally quit resisting, allowing Seonghwa to gently clean the blood from his wrists.</p><p>(Sorry I'm cutting this chapter off here since it's REALLY long.)</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[continuation from Chapter 3]</p><p>The two didn't say a word to each other for the longest time as Seonghwa tended to the wounds on Hongjoong's wrists. Once he cleaned the wounds completely, Seonghwa got up from the side of the tub momentarily to grab a first aid kit from beneath the sink in the bathroom, and quickly returned to Hongjoong's side.</p><p>"I..." Seonghwa hesitated as he opened the kit, grabbing a thing of peroxide to disinfect the wounds and sutures. "I really am sorry.  I don't know what else to say other than that. I'm so, so sorry." His voice sounded sincere as he apologized, which was something Seonghwa never did.</p><p>Hongjoong just stared at him with a blank expression on his face. He didn't know how to feel about the blonde-haired male's apology, he had mixed feelings.</p><p>When Hongjoong didn't reply, Seonghwa just decided to leave it alone. Seonghwa unscrewed the bottle of peroxide, grabbing one of Hongjoong's wrists gently.</p><p>"This is going to hurt a lot... I'm sorry." Seonghwa said before pouring the liquid directly into the wound.</p><p>Hongjoong immediately winced, jerking a bit from the burning sensation. He let out a whine of pain, biting on his bottom lip hard.</p><p>Seonghwa could feel his chest clench at the red-haired male's cries of pain, but he didn't falter. He then took the sutures that he prepared, hesitating slightly before he began to stitch up the first wound.</p><p>Hongjoong tried not to move as his wrists were being stitched, but the feeling of the needle piercing and threading through his skin was horrible. He arched his back in the tub, crying out pathetically.</p><p>"I'm sorry..." Seonghwa said with a tone full of regret as he finished stitching up the one wrist.</p><p>Seonghwa then proceeded to do the same thing to the other wrist. By this time, Hongjoong was in tears, sobs of pain escaping from him.</p><p>Once Seonghwa was finished, he himself almost teared up from hearing the sobs from the smaller male, but he managed to keep his composure.</p><p>Hongjoong began to calm down once he was finished, swallowing hard as his wrists throbbed. He held them close to his chest, just staring down into the now pinkish colored water.</p><p>"Please... Clean up. I'll be waiting outside with some clean clothes for you..." Seonghwa said in a soft tone, unable to look at Hongjoong as he stood up, soon exiting the bathroom.</p><p>Hongjoong looked up as he watched the taller male walk out of the bathroom. He was trying to gather all the thoughts in his head, his feelings were so mixed in this situation. Seonghwa had locked him up in a fit of rage, then proceeded to show remorse and tend to his wounds, it was a complete 180.</p><p>After a moment, Hongjoong drained the dirty water in the tub, soon filing it back up with clean water. He then began to clean himself up, being extremely mindful of the fresh stitches in his wrists.</p><p>Once he was finished, he drained the water again, grabbing a white towel from the metal rack beside the tub as he stepped onto a wool bathroom mat. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he slowly came out of the bathroom, where he saw Seonghwa sitting upon his bed with a pair of clothes sitting beside him.</p><p>The taller male was hunched over, his head resting in his hands as he gripped two fists full of his blonde hair tightly. As Hongjoong approached, that's when he heard soft sniffles coming from Seonghwa. Hongjoong was taken back by this discovery, the other male truly seemed regretful of the whole situation.</p><p>Seonghwa noticed that Hongjoong had come out of the bathroom, lifting his head to look at him as he wiped a few tears away from his face with the sleeves of his shirt. He was quick to compose himself, clearing his throat as he stood up.</p><p>"Oh... Good, you're finished." Seonghwa said as he quickly put on a smile, then gestured to the clothes beside him. "They may be a bit bigger on you than they are me, but you can wear these. I'll leave you to get dressed." He said before heading towards the door.</p><p>Hongjoong had opened his mouth to say something, but Seonghwa had already left the room. He let out a soft sigh, walking over to the clothes on the bed. Dropping the towel to the floor, he didn't waste any time to slip on the clothes he had been lent. The clothes were only a tiny bit bigger, but the fit was still decent enough.</p><p>Once he was fully dressed, Hongjoong slowly came out of the room, looking around before laying eyes on Seonghwa leaning against the wall near the bedroom doorway.</p><p>Hongjoong walked up to him, looking up at the taller male. "Has anyone ever seen you cry like that?" For some reason, that was the first question out of his mouth.</p><p>"W-What?" Seonghwa furrowed his brows slightly as he looked down at the smaller male. He was taken back by this sudden question.</p><p>"You were crying... I didn't know that someone who is supposedly narcissistic and insensitive had the emotional capacity to cry." Hongjoong said in a soft tone.</p><p>"I..." Seonghwa began to protest but stopped himself.</p><p>"If you feel bad about what you've done, why did you do it to me in the first place?" Hongjoong asked curiously, trying to figure this complicated man out.</p><p>"All I intended to do was lock you up until morning and I was going to let you go. I didn't know it was going to be this bad." Seonghwa replied, reaching out of his hands as he gently grabbed one of Hongjoong's wrists gently to inspect the stitches. "I never wanted to hurt you like this... I hate what I've done to you."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked as he watched the taller male inspect his wrists caringly. Seonghwa was never known to become this soft with anyone, and it genuinely confused Hongjoong.</p><p>"While what you did was extremely out of line... I can kind of understand why you did what you did. I said something stupid that made you feel threatened, and if I were you I would've done the same thing." Hongjoong tilted his head slightly.</p><p>Seonghwa looked back up at him, seeming a bit confused with Hongjoong's understanding. "Does that mean you forgive me?"</p><p>Hongjoong hesitated for a moment, then slightly nodded his head. "I shouldn't, but yes, I forgive you." He said with a gentle smile.</p><p>This caused Seonghwa to smile as well. Seonghwa suddenly pulled Hongjoong by his hand, wrapping his arms around him as the taller male embraced him in a warm hug.</p><p>Hongjoong was shocked by the sudden hug, but he didn't resist in the slightest. He got a strange feeling in his chest, almost as if he were safe there in Seonghwa's arms like that. This made him all the more confused.</p><p>After a moment, Seonghwa finally let go of him, rubbing Hongjoong's shoulder a bit. "I'm sure you're probably hungry, and incredibly hungover from last night. Allow me to cook for you?"</p><p>"Cook for me? You... The man loaded with multimillions is offering to cook ME food. Don't you have staff for that?" Hongjoong said with a slight laugh.</p><p>Seonghwa rolled his eyes playfully. "I don't have staff for every little thing. I'll have you know, I prepare my own food. Fewer chances of getting poisoned by some backstabbing staff." He said with a shrug as he grinned.</p><p>"Hmm... Very good point." Hongjoong nodded in understanding. "But, alright, I guess I could go for some food."</p><p>"Wonderful. Follow me please." Seonghwa said as he began to walk down the hall towards the kitchen.</p><p>Hongjoong followed closely behind him, brushing some of his damp hair away from his face. Once they got to the kitchen, Hongjoong was once again baffled by the decor in place.</p><p>The countertops were made from black and white marble. The cabinets were a black modern style with white doors, and all the appliances seemed to be new, top-of-the-line items. An island stood in the middle of it all lined with the same black stools that were in the parlor.</p><p>"Seriously. How are you not broke?" Hongjoong teased as he followed behind Seonghwa, sitting on one of the stools as the taller male rounded the island.</p><p>Seonghwa didn't even answer that question, seeming to dodge it. He just gave a subtle shrug with a smile.</p><p>Hongjoong squinted his eyes a little bit but decided not to say anything more.</p><p>After about thirty minutes, Seonghwa had prepared eggs, sausage, and a side of pancakes for Hongjoong. He quickly plated the food on a white ceramic plate, setting it gently in front of the smaller male with some utensils. Seonghwa also gave him a glass of water as well.</p><p>Hongjoong's stomach growled as he smelled the food in front of him. It all looked amazing. Before he even considered digging in, he looked up at Seonghwa curiously.</p><p>"Why didn't you make any for yourself?" He asked as he took a drink of water.</p><p>"Ah... I can't. Due to my strict diet, I only have protein shakes in the mornings." Seonghwa replied as he made his way to the fridge, pulling out a bottle filled with what looked like a homemade protein shake. It was a nasty green color.</p><p>Hongjoong made a weird face in disgust. "What the hell is in that?"</p><p>Seonghwa walked over to the stool next to Hongjoong, sitting down in one of the stools next to him.</p><p>"It has avocado, spinach, protein powder, almond milk, and a raw egg," Seonghwa explained, taking a drink from it as he even seemed to make a disgusted face from the taste.</p><p>"Okay, no." Hongjoong shook his head, taking his fork and sticking it into a piece of sausage. "Open wide." He said as he held the sausage close to Seonghwa's mouth.</p><p>"No. I can't, as I said I'm on a strict diet. I can't-" As Seonghwa had been talking, Hongjoong found the perfect window to shove the sausage into his mouth.</p><p>"Alcohol isn't apart of your diet but you still drink anyway. Just eat it." Hongjoong said with a grin, the popped a sausage into his own mouth as well.</p><p>Seonghwa hesitated with the sausage in his mouth for a moment, then sighed out as he began to chew. It'd been so long since he could just enjoy food like that, it tasted fantastic.</p><p>"I really should knock your head against this counter for that," Seonghwa said with a slight smile, shaking his head as he swallowed.</p><p>"Do it. Add to the list of fucked up things you've already put me through." Hongjoong raised a brow as he now sat facing him.</p><p>"I..." Seonghwa blinked as he was taken back by this sudden remark.</p><p>"Relax, I'm just giving you a hard time," Hongjoong said as he began cutting up the eggs on the plate.</p><p>Hongjoong scooped up some of the eggs on the fork, holding it out to Seonghwa with a hand underneath to prevent any egg from falling into the floor. Without hesitation, Seonghwa accepted the bite, giving a subtle smile.</p><p>Hongjoong continued to share his food with Seonghwa, feeding him as if the taller male were a child until all the food was gone.</p><p>"See? A little cheat in a diet doesn't hurt." Hongjoong smiled at Seonghwa before he hopped down from the stool.</p><p>The red-haired male gathered his dishes and took them to the sink. As he began washing them, Seonghwa immediately got up from the stool and rushed over.</p><p>"No, don't do that..." Seonghwa said as he took over the dishes from Hongjoong. "You shouldn't have to do your own dishes in my home."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked a bit confused but stepped away from the sink with a nod. "Alright, if you say so."</p><p>Seonghwa quickly finished up the dishes, then dried them off before putting them back into the places he'd gotten them from. He then returned to Hongjoong, standing in front of him with his hands folded at his waist.</p><p>"I've been thinking about something ever since..." Seonghwa seemed to pause as he looked down at Hongjoong's wrists.</p><p>Hongjoong quickly realized what the taller male was looking at, and immediately put his hands behind his back. "What is it?" He questioned curiously.</p><p>"I've been thinking that maybe the whole agreement we have isn't going to work out..." Seonghwa said as he looked up to the smaller male's face. "I wish to nullify our agreement."</p><p>Hongjoong's eyes widened a bit as he took a step back. "W-What? Hang on..."</p><p>"No, not like that." Seonghwa sighed out, rubbing his forehead. "I simply just mean I  don't want you to work for me anymore."</p><p>Hongjoong seemed to relax a bit, taking a step toward Seonghwa again. "Wait, why? I thought you valued my work."</p><p>"I do, I just..." Seonghwa looked at the ground as he leaned against the counter. "I don't want to hurt you again. If I lost my temper with you like that again, I could do so much worse, and I don't want that to happen."</p><p>"But what if I don't want to stop working for you?" Hongjoong frowned slightly. "You're just going to back away like that?"</p><p>Seonghwa looked at him completely confused. "You still want to work for me after what I did to you?"</p><p>"I believe you're misunderstood. I believe there's someone meaningful deep inside that thuggish facade you display for everyone else." Hongjoong sounded determined as he got closer, looking up at the taller male. "You need someone to understand you, and so far I believe I'm the only person that has even begun to understand you. Let me keep working for you, please."</p><p>Seonghwa was taken back by what the smaller male said to him. He didn't know what to think. After all, he'd done, Hongjoong was still persistent in working for him.</p><p>"I..." Seonghwa hesitated before letting out a sigh. "Fine... I'll allow you to keep working for me."</p><p>Hearing this made Hongjoong smile warmly. "Thank you. I promise I won't let you down."</p><p>"I really hope you don't," Seonghwa said in a soft tone.</p><p>Seonghwa reached up a hand slowly, touching the soft skin of Hongjoong's cheek gently. Hongjoong froze for a moment, wondering what the hell Seonghwa was doing, but he didn't feel compelled to pull away.</p><p>The taller male seemed to inspect every little detail upon Hongjoong's face as his thumb caressed his cheek, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.</p><p>"W-What are y-you doing?" Hongjoong stuttered slightly, feeling his cheeks flush with heat.</p><p>"Do you trust me? With every bit of your being, do you trust me?" Seonghwa questioned in a soft voice.</p><p>"I..." Hongjoong hesitated briefly, feeling his heart pick begin to race. "Strangely, yes, I trust you..."</p><p>"Good." That's all Seonghwa said in response.</p><p>The taller male then began to lean his face down towards Hongjoong's slowly. Hongjoong could've moved away, but he seemed frozen in place. Seonghwa paused for a moment as his lips had just barely grazed Hongjoong's lips, looking deep into the smaller male's eyes. Hongjoong's cheeks were almost a crimson color as he could feel the breath of Seonghwa against his lips. Seonghwa gave a subtle smile, then looked down at his lips before he connected their lips together.</p><p>Hongjoong had never kissed the same sex, he hadn't ever kissed anyone for that matter. He'd never been in a relationship before because he didn't care for them.</p><p>For someone who vowed that he wasn't interested in the same sex, he willingly kissed Seonghwa back. A weird feeling in his chest seemed to spark. He took in a deep breath of slight excitement as the kiss lingered. At this point, regardless of what Seonghwa had done to him, or would do to him, he was completely under this man's spell.</p><p>When Seonghwa finally broke the kiss, Hongjoong almost whined in disappointment that the kiss ended.</p><p>"You're so adorable like this..." Seonghwa cooed as his hand traveled to Hongjoong's lips, gently grazing the male's bottom lip with his fingers.</p><p>Hongjoong just stared up at him almost as if he were under some trance. Seonghwa was intoxicatingly charismatic, so it was easy to see how Hongjoong was quick to submit to the taller male.</p><p>"I look forward to working with you from now on..." Seonghwa whispered softly as he had leaned down to Hongjoong's ear. "And I hope that's for a VERY long time..."</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the next few days, Seonghwa had Hongjoong fetch information for him for about 7 different people. Seonghwa didn't even need to tell him the reasons why he needed information on these people anymore, Hongjoong basically did everything that was asked of him. Which, was actually just what Seonghwa had wanted from him. Now that he had the red-haired male wrapped around his little pinky, it only just made his job easier.</p><p>One day Hongjoong had arrived at Seonghwa's estate, clearly seeming a little off after learning about something suspicious on the news earlier that morning. When he got there, the maid that answered the door and told him he needed to wait in the living area because Seonghwa was in the middle of an appointment.</p><p>Bouncing his knee nervously as he sat upon a white leather couch, he looked at his phone and noticed forty-five minutes had passed since he arrived.</p><p>What the hell is taking him so long? Hongjoong thought to himself, looking around the place impatiently.</p><p>Finally, he stood up from the couch, sneaking over to the hallway so the staff didn't catch him and stop him. He walked urgently down the hall, stopping in his tracks once he got to the bedroom door. Hongjoong could hear weird noises coming from inside, unable to quite make out what exactly they were, but he wasn't about to wait around to find out.</p><p>Hongjoong pushed open the door. "Seonghwa I'm sorry but-" He immediately fell silent when he noticed what was going on.</p><p>Seonghwa was sitting on the front of his desk with a smaller male in front of him, his hands placed lowly on the other male's hips, seeming to be whispering something in his ear when he stopped and noticed Hongjoong.</p><p>"Alright... You need to leave. Something of greater importance has arrived." Seonghwa said in a dismissive tone, slightly pushing the other male away from him.</p><p>"But, I-"</p><p>"I said... Leave. Now!" Seonghwa barked at him.</p><p>The other male quickly dropped his head, turning to leave as he made his way to the door. Hongjoong made eye contact with him briefly as he walked past to exit the room. Hongjoong then squinted his eyes as he looked at Seonghwa.</p><p>"And what the fuck was that?" Hongjoong questioned as he walked right up to the blonde-haired male.</p><p>Seonghwa rolled his eyes slightly. "Nothing important, just handling some business."</p><p>"Handling business? It looked more like you were handling him more than your business." Hongjoong said bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p>Seonghwa sighed softly, pushing off of his desk as he stood onto his feet, getting close to Hongjoong. He reached out a hand as he attempted to pull Hongjoong to him, but the smaller male immediately took a step back.</p><p>"You know what? I don't give a shit who you're messing with. I'm not here for your bullshit affection anyways." Hongjoong spat, letting out a scoff as he shook his head.</p><p>"Excuse me?" Seonghwa's face began to form a deep frown, tilting his head a bit.</p><p>"I know you've seen the news. The man I gave you information on yesterday? His body was found in the fucking river this morning, Seonghwa." Hongjoong pointed out, clearly seeming suspicious.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a laugh. "What? You think that I had anything to do with it?" He sounded appalled at what Hongjoong was implying.</p><p>"There's no way it was just a coincidence, Seonghwa. I gave you the information last night, and he's suddenly found floating along the fucking river this morning. For someone who hates liars, you seem to be doing a great job of being one yourself." Hongjoong sounded angry.</p><p>The look in Seonghwa's eyes seemed to darken as he stared at Hongjoong. He walked up to the smaller male, suddenly grabbing him by his hips roughly and pulling him against his chest.</p><p>"I think you've forgotten who the hell you're talking to with that kind of attitude," Seonghwa warned, reaching up a hand as he grabbed Hongjoong by his cheeks firmly.</p><p>Hongjoong tried to squirm out of the taller male's grasp, but he was much stronger than Hongjoong was so his attempts to escape were useless.</p><p>"Let go of me. I don't want you touching me after what I just saw." Hongjoong bravely fired back, looking Seonghwa dead in the eyes. "Just fucking answer me. Did you have anything to do with that man's death?"</p><p>Seonghwa let out a low growl, licking his bottom lip slightly. "First, you accuse me of entertaining another male. Second, you accuse me of being related to a murder? How shallow of you to believe I could be capable of either."</p><p>"Oh fuck you, Seonghwa, quit feeding me lies. I'm not some idiot that will believe every damn thing that comes out your mouth." Hongjoong snapped with a glare. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not like the ditsy tramps you're entertaining when I'm not around."</p><p>"You better watch your tongue, I'm getting really tired of that mouth of yours." Seonghwa sounded a bit threatening as he tightened his grip on Hongjoong's face.</p><p>"Watch my tongue? Or what? You gonna handcuff me to a bed until my wrists bleed again? Then pretend afterward that you actually gave a fuck in the first place?" Hongjoong said those words with poison on his tongue, letting out a scoff. "That's fucking rich."</p><p>The look in Seonghwa's eyes seemed to change as he blinked with shock, almost seeming as if hurt began to flood into his eyes. He eased up his grip on Hongjoong, shaking his head lightly as he let go of his face.</p><p>"You have no right bringing that up like this... I've done everything I could to make up for that." Seonghwa said in a softened tone. "I've vowed to never hurt you like that again and so far I've held my promise."</p><p>"Coming from the man that just threatened me a few seconds ago." Hongjoong scoffed as he looked away. "We're done here. Send your men after me when I leave, I don't give a shit."</p><p>Hongjoong suddenly ripped himself out of Seonghwa's grasp, turning to walk towards the door. Before he even got two steps away, Hongjoong felt Seonghwa grab his hand to stop him. Seonghwa pulled on him and brought the smaller male back to his chest.</p><p>"Seonghwa! Stop-" Hongjoong couldn't even finish his sentence because Seonghwa had silenced him with his lips.</p><p>The red-haired male fought against the kiss briefly but quickly found himself melting into the kiss. Seonghwa wrapped his arms securely around Hongjoong's waist as he deepened the kiss, causing Hongjoong to let a small whimper escape through his nose.</p><p>Once Seonghwa pulled away slightly, he locked his eyes with Hongjoong's, seeming to look straight into his soul.</p><p>"I don't entertain other men, never have I even thought about it. What you saw earlier wasn't what you thought it was, and I know it probably looked wrong to you, but I swear on my life it was far from that. The only man I have an interest in entertaining is you." Seonghwa said as he brought his hands to the male's face, cupping his cheeks gently. "And I had nothing to do with that man's death. I can show you every bit of proof that I have to show you that I had no relation to this. The only reason I needed information on him was that he owed my business a lot of money, and I needed to get it back. I wouldn't kill a man, never have I ever killed a man, alright?" Seonghwa explained in a soft tone.</p><p>Hongjoong stared up at him for a while, trying to decide if Seonghwa was actually telling him the truth or not. Part of him believed him, but the other part didn't. After a long silence, he finally sighed.</p><p>"I'm choosing to believe you... Please don't make me regret choosing to trust you." Hongjoong reached up as he grabbed ahold of Seonghwa's wrists gently. "Don't make me look like a fool, Seonghwa."</p><p>Seonghwa gave him a warm smile, dropping his hands down to Hongjoong's hips. The taller male then leaned his face down so he could place gentle kisses along Hongjoong's jawline. Hongjoong bit down on the soft flesh of his bottom lip, exhaling deeply as he gripped ahold of Seonghwa's arms softly.</p><p>"I would never make a fool out of you... You know that." Seonghwa reassured softly into the smaller male's ear. "I know I make a lot of mistakes, but I assure you that you're far from a mistake. You mean so much to me, and I would never do anything to betray that."</p><p>Seonghwa knew exactly what he needed to say to have Hongjoong wrapped around his finger again, he knew the exact ways to touch him to get him to fall right back in line. It's not that he didn't mean the words he said and the things he did because he meant all of it, but at the same time, he was manipulating Hongjoong into having total faith in him. He needed to have full control over Hongjoong's spit-fire attitude otherwise it would just complicate everything.</p><p>"I believe you, I do. I'm sorry for making false accusations, I just needed clarity. Thank you for helping me see that I was wrong." Hongjoong said with a hopeful smile.</p><p>"No, don't apologize. I should've been upfront with you instead of acting impudent" Seonghwa shook his head slightly, putting on a gentle smile. "You need to have more faith in me."</p><p>Hongjoong nodded, his gaze falling to his feet. "You're right. I won't ever doubt you again, I promise."</p><p>"Good boy..." Seonghwa said as he lifted the smaller male's head up by his chin. "I'm pleased to hear that from you.</p><p>Seonghwa leaned in once again, connecting their lips together with passion a passion-filled kiss, pressing his fingertips into Hongjoong's hips. Hongjoong wrapped his arms around the taller male's neck in response, pressing his body closer to Seonghwa's. Seonghwa then bit on the smaller male's lip playfully, triggering a slight moan from him.</p><p>"Ahah... Did someone like that?" Seonghwa teased, his hands moving to rest upon Hongjoong's rear.</p><p>"I liked that a lot..." Hongjoong replied softly with a nod.</p><p>"We're gonna have to take care of a little problem since you moaned like that. I need to hear more." The taller male said with a slight growl before kissing Hongjoong roughly.</p><p>Seonghwa then suddenly lifted the other male up, wrapping Hongjoong's legs around his waist as he then pinned him against up the wall. Seonghwa proceeded to grind his hips into the smaller male, causing small moans to escape from Hongjoong as Seonghwa rubbed against the stiffening member in his pants.</p><p>Seonghwa grabbed ahold of Hongjoong's shirt, ripping it off of him with eagerness. He'd craved the smaller male for so long, and he couldn't wait to finally get a taste of what was his. The blonde-haired male attacked Hongjoong's neck with a mixture of kisses and rough bites upon the soft skin. Hongjoong grabbed a handful of Seonghwa's hair, his heart beginning to beat rapidly in his chest.</p><p>Hongjoong had never been touched like this, it was all so exciting yet absolutely terrifying, especially with how aggressively Seonghwa was handling him.</p><p>"S-Seonghwa..." Hongjoong sighed out with another moan just as Seonghwa rubbed his hips into him again.</p><p>"Shut up," Seonghwa demanded as he lifted the smaller male from the wall, carrying him over to the bed and throwing him down onto the satin sheets roughly.</p><p>Seonghwa stripped his own shirt off along with his pants and boxers, his rock hard member sticking straight out as it was freed from the constraint of his pants.</p><p>"W-Wait... Seon-" Hongjoong was cut off as the taller male crawled on top of him and began aggressively ripping his pants and underwear off.</p><p>Once Seonghwa had stripped the smaller male down to nothing, he spits into his hand before wrapping his hand around Hongjoong's thick member, pumping him at a fast pace. Hongjoong bucked his hips and arched his back as he let out a loud moan, biting on his lip pretty hard.</p><p>"Seonghwa... W-Wait..." Hongjoong managed to choke out through his pathetic moans.</p><p>"I said shut up," Seonghwa growled at him, then suddenly flipped the smaller male onto his stomach.</p><p>Before Seonghwa continued what he was doing, he quickly reached into the drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a couple of condoms and a black bottle of lube.</p><p>"No, seriously... Seonghwa, hang on a sec..." Hongjoong said slightly panicked, rolling himself over.</p><p>Seonghwa didn't like the defiance from the smaller male, reaching up and closing a hand around his throat, applying a bit of pressure to the sides of Hongjoong's neck. Hongjoong yelped slightly, grabbing ahold of Seonghwa's wrist with both hands.</p><p>"Please... I'm a virgin, Seonghwa... You're scaring me, please stop." Hongjoong looked at him with a glint of fear in his eyes. "I'm a virgin..."</p><p>The taller male blinked as he stopped what he was doing, removing his hand from Hongjoong's neck.</p><p>"You're what?" Seonghwa sounded a bit confused, tilting his head. "Hongjoong... You never once mentioned that you were a virgin until now. Why did you wait so long to say something?"</p><p>Hongjoong's face flushed deep red, looking away from Seonghwa. "I was embarrassed. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd laugh at me or something." He said softly as he frowned a bit.</p><p>"Does it sound like I'm laughing?" Seonghwa reached out his hands as he grabbed ahold of Hongjoong's face to make him look at him. "If you would've told me, I wouldn't have gone rough on you. If you don't want to do this, I won't make you."</p><p>Hongjoong shook his head, biting on his lip softly. "No, please... I desperately want you... Just take it easy on me, I'm scared, okay?"</p><p>Seonghwa smiled down at the smaller male warmly, nodding his head with understanding. He leaned over him, kissing Hongjoong passionately. Seonghwa began grinding his bare member against Hongjoong's slowly, triggering sweet moans from the smaller male as he wrapped his arm's around Seonghwa's neck.</p><p>After a while, Seonghwa pulled away for a moment as he grabbed the bottle of lube. He covered his fingers in the slippery liquid, then reached down as he teased Hongjoong's entrance with a couple of fingers.</p><p>"This may feel uncomfortable at first, okay? Just try to deal with it as much as you can." Seonghwa said softly as he then pushed two fingers inside.</p><p>Hongjoong arched his back again, wincing as he let out a series of slightly uncomfortable grunts, unsure how to feel about the pain shooting inside him.</p><p>"Relax... The more you resist, the harder it is to get comfortable." Seonghwa advises, slowly moving his fingers in and out of Hongjoong. "Relax, baby..."</p><p>After finally easing into it, the uncomfortable grunts turned into sweet moans. His hips writhed a bit as he began craving more. Seonghwa grinned as he noticed Hongjoong had completely gotten used to it.</p><p>He then slid his fingers out, grabbing a condom in his other hand, and carefully ripping it open with his teeth. Seonghwa removed the rubber from the wrapper, tossing the wrapper to the side as he then rolled the condom over his throbbing member.</p><p>"Are you ready baby?" Seonghwa said ina seductive tone as he leaned over Hongjoong, the tip of his lengthy member pushing against Hongjoong's entrance.</p><p>Hongjoong wrapped his arms around Seonghwa's shoulders, giving him a nod of consent. With the consent of the smaller male, Seonghwa pushed his length deep inside, shuddering slightly with a groan as he felt the tightness close around his member. Hongjoong let out a small whimper of pain and pleasure as Seonghwa stretched him open.</p><p>"Please just fuck me..." Hongjoong whined, he actually enjoyed the slight sensation of pain. He didn't want to wait anymore.</p><p>"Your wish is my command," Seonghwa said with a low growl, beginning to thrust his hips vigorously.</p><p>Hongjoong wrapped his legs tightly around Seonghwa's waist, crying out with pleasure with each powerful thrust. Seonghwa groaned softly, reaching a hand up to Hongjoong's neck, clasping his hand around it firmly once again. The caused the moans from the smaller male to become whinier.</p><p>"You have no idea how long I've waited to be inside of you, baby," Seonghwa growled into Hongjoong's ear. "You feel so good tightened around me like this."</p><p>The words from Seonghwa almost made his submissive explode right there. Both of their climaxes were coming up very fast.</p><p>"I-I... I'm gonna... cum." Hongjoong moaned out breathlessly.</p><p>"No. You don't cum until I say you can." Seonghwa warned as he suddenly pulled out.</p><p>Seonghwa rolled them over so Hongjoong was now on top of him.</p><p>"I wanna watch you ride me like the good little boy you are," Seonghwa said as he grabbed ahold of Hongjoong's hips, forcing him to sit down all the way on his member.</p><p>Hongjoong's head fell back as he groaned loudly in pleasure, then began to bounce his hips eagerly while he was on top of Seonghwa. The taller male closed his eyes as he groaned softly, thrusting up into Hongjoong roughly every time he came down.</p><p>The smaller male's moans were becoming desperate as he tried to hold back his release.</p><p>"Please... I can't hold it any longer." Hongjoong pleaded pathetically.</p><p>"You can, and you will," Seonghwa said through breathless groans.</p><p>Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong's throbbing member, beginning to pump him fast. Hongjoong's moans became loud screams of pleasure, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he desperately tried not to cum.</p><p>After torturing him a while longer, Seonghwa released deep inside of Hongjoong with a loud groan.</p><p>"Fuck... Cum for me baby." Seonghwa demanded, which was enough motivation for Hongjoong.</p><p>As soon as he said those words, Hongjoong released all over Seonghwa's chest, crying out in pleasure as he continued to ride out his orgasm. Seonghwa absolutely fell in love with the smaller male's orgasm, biting on his bottom lip.</p><p>"Now clean up the mess you made," Seonghwa said with a smirk.</p><p>Hongjoong did as he was told, getting off of Seonghwa momentarily before he leaned down, licking up the mess from Seonghwa's chest.</p><p>"God... You're such a good boy." Seonghwa growled, grabbing Hongjoong by his chin before pulling him into a passionate kiss.</p><p>Seonghwa then grabbed Hongjoong by his waist, pulling him down into his arms as he held his naked body against his own.</p><p>"You're mine and mine only. No one else can have you as I can." Seonghwa muttered into Hongjoongs ear, placing sweet kisses on his neck,</p><p>"I'm yours, and yours only..." Hongjoong repeated tiredly, trying to come down from his intense orgasm.</p><p>"Good boy..."</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p><p>(A/N: Sorry if the smut was a sucky and rushed. I was really tired while writing this.)</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day after their first intimate encounter, Seonghwa had told Hongjoong that it would be best if he didn't come by that day because he wasn't going to be in town for the day, said he needed to take care of something. But, Seonghwa being the kind of man he was, of course, everything he had said to Hongjoong was a lie.</p><p>Seonghwa wasn't even going to be leaving his estate that day. In fact, the "business" he needed to handle was already en route to him anyways.</p><p>Seonghwa waited patiently near the front door as he waited for his little surprise to arrive. He didn't have to wait long because two large men in black suits came barging through the front door, tossing a rather lanky male onto the floor with a black cloth over his head</p><p>"Ah... Perfect. Just in time." Seonghwa clapped his hands together as he squatted before the male on the floor. "I just so happen to be in a good mood."</p><p>Seonghwa reached out and ripped the black cloth of the man's head, flashing a wide smile at the clearly flustered male before him.</p><p>"Mr. Harper... I told you we'd see each other very soon. You do understand why you're here correct?" Seonghwa questioned, having a certain demeanor to him that seemed like a predator taunting its prey.</p><p>"Go to hell, you sick bastard." Mr. Harper snapped before spitting into Seonghwa's face.</p><p>The two large men took a step forward, but Seonghwa held out a hand to signal for them to stop. Seonghwa laughed loudly as he stood up, wiping the spit from his face with a handkerchief he'd pulled from his pants pocket.</p><p>"I love the cocky little spit-fucks that come through here," Seonghwa said as he tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket. "More to play with."</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly reared his foot back, bringing it forward with all the force he could as his leather boot connected with Mr. Harper's jaw. The male's head flew back roughly, blood spraying from his mouth along with a couple of teeth. The man collapsed onto the ground hard, groaning out in pain as he continued to spit out blood.</p><p>"Get this disgusting thing off my floor, take him to the basement and lock him up. Mr. Harper and I need to have a discussion in private." Seonghwa ordered, looking at the blood splatter on his shoe with disgust. "God... This was Italian leather, and here I've ruined it." </p><p>The two men lifted the male from the ground, slipping the black cloth over his head as they proceeded to drag him down the hallway.</p><p>"Someone clean this mess up! I don't want to see a speck of blood on the floor when I come back!"Seonghwa shouted to the staff, then followed closely behind his men.</p><p>They all made their way down into the basement, walking over to a large, steel-made door secured by a certain passcode. Seonghwa walked up to the keypad as his men waited, punching in the code. The door made a series of clicks as it unlocked, then slowly opened on its own. The tall male stood to the side as he allowed his men to carry Mr. Harper into the room.</p><p>It was a small room, only about ten feet by ten feet, the walls lined with various weapons and tools all protected plexiglass displays that also required a passcode to get anything out of them. In the middle of the room sat a metal armchair with built-in wrist and ankle restraints that were already stained with blood from previous use.</p><p>The man was thrown into the chair, both of the large men locking his wrists and ankles in place on the chair.</p><p>"Thank you kindly, gentlemen. Take the day off, you're both dismissed." Seonghwa dismissed them with a smile, watching the two walk out as they closed the door behind them.</p><p>Seonghwa then turned to Mr. Harper, approaching him as he ripped the black cloth off of his head again. The blonde-haired male cocked his head with a wicked smile as he leaned down into the male's face.</p><p>"Let's see if this little piggy squeals, shall we?" Seonghwa said with a cynical tone to his voice.</p><p>"Mr. Park... I have no idea what happened to your merchandise that was lost. I wasn't even in charge of that." Mr. Harper said as he shook his head. "That's not apart of my job description."</p><p>"That's awful rich coming from the head director of the corporation, isn't it? You're going to tell me what happened to it one way or another, and who took it if you're feeling so generous." Seonghwa walked over to one of the display cases, pulling a metal retractable baton from the wall, and returning to Mr. Harper.</p><p>"I swear to you! I have no idea!" Mr. Harper exclaimed, his eyes widening slightly in fear. "I have a family! You can't harm me!'</p><p>Seonghwa laughed as he jerked his arm out, the baton extending with a series of clicks with this sudden motion. "I'll be sure to personally send my condolences then."</p><p>About an hour into the endless torture session, Seonghwa heard the door of the room begin to open as he paused briefly. He was covered in sprays of blood as he glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. One of his men stood there, clearing his throat.</p><p>"Sir... That red-haired guy is here to see you. Hong...kyun? Something like that." The bulky man explained.</p><p>Seonghwa shut his eyes frustratedly as he sighed out. "Hongjoong... You fucking idiot. Tell him to wait for me, I'll be out to greet him in a moment."</p><p>The bulky man nodded his head, then quickly left his boss alone in the room. Seonghwa growled lowly as he turned to Mr. Harper, who was in a state of unconsciousness from being beaten so severely.</p><p>"So fucking weak." Seonghwa spat out, setting the baton down on a tray table in the corner of the room.</p><p>Seonghwa exited the room, heading up the stairs of the basement. He quickly made it to his room, grabbing a towel as he wiped the blood from his hands and face. Seonghwa changed into a clean pair of clothes that weren't bloodstained like the clothes he had on before, discarding the dirty ones into his hamper along with the towel. He brushed back some of his hair, sighing out before he exited his room and made his way to the living room.</p><p>Seonghwa smiled warmly as he caught sight of the smaller male sitting upon the leather couch. "What on earth are you doing here, little one?" Seonghwa cooed sweetly as he approached Hongjoong.</p><p>"You lied to me, asshole. I thought you were going to be out of town." Hongjoong teased with a grin, standing up from the couch so he could hug Seonghwa.</p><p>"And I thought I told you not to come by today. I guess we both went against our own words." Seonghwa wrapped his arms around Hongjoong tightly, kissing on his cheek gently.</p><p>"Well... I'd originally come by to drop off the information for that guy that works for Barren Bank Corporate, but it was brought to my attention that you were still home" Hongjoong pulled away slightly as he looked up at Seonghwa.</p><p>"Oh... Was it?" The taller male said with a slight laugh, glancing around the room at the lingering staff with intense glares. </p><p>So one of my staff ratted me out? I'll fish them out later on. Seonghwa thought to himself as he sighed out with frustration.</p><p>"What's wrong with you? Are you not happy that I'm here?" Hongjoong questioned, tilting his head with a slight frown.</p><p>"No, no, that's not it. I was just really busy with-" Seonghwa fell silent as Hongjoong suddenly grabbed him by the chin.</p><p>Hongjoong turned Seonghwa's head to the side, seeming to inspect him closely after he saw something.</p><p>"Yah... What the hell are you doing?" Seonghwa tried to pull his face away, but Hongjoong had a firm grasp.</p><p>"Seonghwa... Who's blood is all over you?" Hongjoong stepped back as he let go of the taller male's face. "Why do you have blood on your neck and small traces in your hair?"</p><p>Seonghwa took in a deep breath, looking towards the ground for a moment before looking Hongjoong in the eyes again. "Business, that's all." He said with a subtle shrug.</p><p>Hongjoong then grabbed ahold of Seonghwa's hands, seeing that there was dried blood under his fingernails and his fingertips were still stained with traces of blood. Hongjoong frowned deeply, letting go of his hands.</p><p>"What did you do? Seonghwa, what have you done?" Hongjoong sounded more urgent, swallowing dryly.</p><p>Seonghwa shook his head, grabbing Hongjoong by his hand as he led him back to his bedroom. He threw Hongjoong inside, following in behind him as he kicked the door shut with his foot. Hongjoong walked up to him, placing both of his hands on each side of Seonghwa's face, looking extremely concerned.</p><p>"Seonghwa... Please tell me what you've done. I can't protect you if you don't tell me." Hongjoong pleaded as he looked into Seonghwa's intense eyes. "Please tell me what happened."</p><p>Seonghwa stared down at Hongjoong for a while before he ever said anything. "There's a lot I haven't told you, specifically because I didn't trust you... I guess I have no choice but to tell you."</p><p>"Please... You know you can trust me, I would never do anything to turn my back against you." Hongjoong said softly as his hands fell down to grip ahold of the taller male's shirt.</p><p>"I... I lost some merchandise that was very important for my business. Either someone stole it or someone irresponsibly lost it. If someone finds that container, it could totally rip everything out from underneath me. Everything I've worked hard to build for myself." Seonghwa explained, seeming to pause briefly before he continued. "I have a man by the name Devin Harper locked in the basement, the man who was responsible for transporting my merchandise. The blood... It's his. He decided he didn't want to talk, so I'm going to make him." Seonghwa's tone was completely cold.</p><p>Hongjoong felt his heart sink into his feet as he tried to process what Seonghwa just confessed to him. He realized this was all the verification he needed that Seonghwa was definitely involved with heinous crimes.</p><p>"The man... at the river... You killed him, didn't you?" Hongjoong blinked with shock, asking cautiously.</p><p>Seonghwa licked the inside of his cheek as he shook his head. "I didn't personally kill him with my own hands, but I authorized the hit."</p><p>"These people that supposedly owe you money, don't actually owe you money... They're threats to whatever business you're wrapped up in." Hongjoong was beginning to figure it all out, unsure of how to feel about it. "You used me to get information on these people so you could track them down and harm them..."</p><p>"I didn't want to tell you all of this because I didn't want it to change your view of me," Seonghwa said softly, taking a couple of steps back away from him. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have gotten you involved... You probably think I'm some sick psychopath."</p><p>Hongjoong couldn't help but feel bad for him. He couldn't see these things that Seonghwa was doing as unjust, he cared too deeply about him.</p><p>"No... I mean, I don't condone what you're doing." Hongjoong got closer to him, wrapping his arms loosely around the taller male's neck. "But I can't pass judgment on you when I've technically contributed to all of this... Right now, I'm in this with you, I have no choice."</p><p>Seonghwa frowned a little with confusion, just blinking as he stared down at the smaller male. His demeanor seemed to soften as he placed his hands lowly on Hongjoong's hips, leaning his face down as he pressed his forehead against his.</p><p>"The loyalty you have for me is unprecedented, Hongjoong... I would never be able to find someone as devoted to me as you are." Seonghwa said as he reached up one of his hands and placed it on the back of the smaller male's neck. "Promise me you'll never stray from my side. I would fail if it weren't for you..."</p><p>The words coming out of Seonghwa's mouth made a slight smile curl upon the red-haired male's lips.</p><p>"I promise... My place is right here at your side, regardless of the things you do." Hongjoong replied, then biting on the soft flesh of his bottom lip.</p><p>Hongjoong had originally gotten involved in all of this to exploit the notorious criminal that Seonghwa was, but even with the confirmation of all the circulating rumors, he wouldn't ever be able to bring himself to rat Seonghwa out. He was in way too deep, he was wrapped up in Seonghwa's vast, dangerous world, and there was no viable way out of it. But, at the same time, getting out of it was the last thing he wanted.</p><p>"I must return to what I started, little one," Seonghwa said softly as he pulled away. "I need to see if my little friend has woken up yet."</p><p>Hongjoong swallowed hard at these words, blinking as his gaze fell down to the floor. "You're not going to kill him, are you? Please, don't kill him, Seonghwa. Whatever he's done, don't kill him."</p><p>Seonghwa just smiled, planting a gentle kiss upon his forehead. "You don't need to worry about that. I won't be very long, please enjoy yourself in my home while I'm busy. I would like to see your face as soon as I'm done, little one."</p><p>"Seonghwa, I'm serious..."Hongjoong began to protest, but Seonghwa had spun on his heels before walking right out of the room.</p><p>Hongjoong dropped his head as he stood alone in Seonghwa's bedroom, the silence of the room was louder than anything else. He could easily stop Seonghwa from what he was about to do, but he did absolutely nothing to prevent it. He preferred to stay out of whatever the hell the blonde-haired male was about to do.</p><p>What am I doing? Hongjoong thought to himself, running his hands through his hair.</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a few days after Hongjoong uncovered the dark secret Seonghwa hid from him, he struggled with himself greatly. He kept trying to put his thoughts in order, whether what he was doing was right or wrong. Morally, he knew it was sick and twisted, but no one else saw Seonghwa in the same light that he did.</p><p>Seonghwa put Hongjoong on a pedestal, high out of reach from anything and everyone else, and Seonghwa wouldn't let anything change that, no matter what it took. Never having experienced something like this before, it was very confusing for the red-haired male. The more he tore himself between the means of right and wrong, the more he could feel himself on the brink of snapping.</p><p>One day, Seonghwa had requested for Hongjoong to follow this guy by the name of San Choi, the eldest son of a rival crime family. Seonghwa wanted to know the man's patterns throughout the day since San Choi was known for keeping a rather regular daily schedule, and of course, Hongjoong did just as he was instructed.</p><p>Hongjoong decided to begin his stake-out at a local cafe beside a large skyscraper. The building had belonged to San Choi's father, it was a large transport corporation located in June. San Choi was supposed to be leaving after a meeting was held with his father.</p><p>Sitting at a white metal table shaded with a black umbrella outside the cafe, Hongjoong pretended to read a magazine as he waited for San Choi.</p><p>About 30 minutes has passed, and he caught sight of a dark-haired male that fit the exact description that Hongjoong was given. </p><p>There he is... It's time to figure out where this guy is headed next. Hongjoong thought to himself, closing the magazine as he stood up slowly.</p><p>San Choi looked up and down the street for a moment, then proceeded to walk his way down the sidewalk, heading away from Hongjoong. Hongjoong let him get some distance away before he began following behind him, he tried to be as careful as he could so he wouldn't blow his cover.</p><p>After walking about 5 blocks or so, Hongjoong noticed the dark-haired male suddenly dip inside an alleyway. Hongjoong frowned slightly, picking up his pace a bit so he could catch up. He couldn't lose sight of this man, he still didn't know anything about his daily schedule other than the meeting.</p><p>Hongjoong turned down the alleyway but didn't see a thing as he continued to walk, looking all over the place to see if he could figure out where he'd disappeared to. As he began to turn another corner, he was suddenly knocked to the ground hard after something metal connected with his head. It almost knocked him out cold, groaning as his vision faded in and out of darkness on the ground. Hongjoong felt a gentle stream of warm liquid run down the side of his head. He could make out an outline of a male standing over him, but he couldn't quite see who it was.</p><p>"Who the hell are you and why have you been following me?" A low voice demanded.</p><p>"I..." Hongjoong tried to say something but he was so disoriented.</p><p>Hongjoong was then suddenly lifted up by his collar roughly, then slammed against the wall so hard it took his breath away. He cried out in pain as he winced, coughing as he tried to get his breath back.</p><p>"I will not ask you again. Who the hell sent you? Who are you?" The man growled as he had Hongjoong pinned against the brick of the building.</p><p>Once Hongjoong's vision came back, he recognized that it was San Choi. His heart dropped to his feet after realizing he was caught.</p><p>"I-I'm nobody..." Hongjoong muttered, swallowing dryly. "I won't tell you anything.</p><p>This response didn't settle well with the dark-haired male. San reared his arm back before connecting a balled fist against the red-haired male's cheek, hitting him so hard that he collapsed to the ground onto his hands and knees.</p><p>Hongjoong coughed once again, spitting out a mouth full of blood and a single molar onto the concrete beneath him. He began to breathe deeply as anger began to flood through every nerve of his body, shaking softly as he tried to contain himself.</p><p>"TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!" San shouted angrily, rearing back a foot as he kicked Hongjoong in the side roughly.</p><p>Hongjoong fell to the ground completely, gasping for air and crying out in pain. This was the last straw, something in his head completely snapped, he was no longer in control of his own body. Even though he was in immense pain, the adrenaline was already coursing through his body as he tried to stand up. Once on his feet and gripping his side, he had a crazy look in his eye as he looked at San Choi.</p><p>The dark-haired male attempted to throw another right hook, but Hongjoong somehow how managed to catch the fist mid-air. Hongjoong grit his teeth as he shoved the other male back, making San fall back onto the ground pretty hard. Hongjoong didn't waste any time crawling on top of the dark-haired male, throwing fist after fist into each side of his face. </p><p>Once he finally snapped out of it, he stopped wailing on the male before him. Hongjoong was shaking, beginning to hyperventilate as he realized the gravity of the situation before him. He looked down at his trembling hands, seeing they were basically dripping in the blood of the other male. He cried out as he immediately scrambled off of him, backing against the wall frantically. The man on the ground wasn't moving, not even an inch. He was beaten so badly that the face was barely recognizable at this point.</p><p>Hongjoong immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket, smearing blood all over the screen as he called Seonghwa in a panic.</p><p>While working on some paperwork, Seonghwa felt his cell phone begin to vibrate in is pocket, the pulled it out as he read Hongjoong's name on the screen. He smiled a bit as he answered.</p><p>"Yah... How's the-" Seonghwa fell silent when he heard frantic sobs on the other end of the line.</p><p>"I-I... I-I... Seonghwa... He's dead... I-I k-killed him... Please, help me..." </p><p>Seonghwa froze briefly, blinking in shock. "You... You what? Hongjoong, where are you?" He questioned as he leaped from his desk, sprinting out of his room.</p><p>"I-I... I-I don't know... I-I followed h-him into a-an a-alley off of G-Grand... Seonghwa, please help me." Hongjoong sobbed, trembling profusely.</p><p>"I'm coming, I'm coming. I promise." Seonghwa reassured. "Stay there, I'll find you."</p><p>Seonghwa hung up the phone, getting one of his men to bring the big Cadillac around. He had the other man drive because if he did, he would get into an accident from driving recklessly to find Hongjoong.</p><p>What would've originally been an hour's drive ended up only being half an hour. Seonghwa had his driver drop him off along Grand street, and he began to search every alleyway for Hongjoong frantically, he had to find him before anyone else did.</p><p>Finally, as he ran down one of the alleyways, he turned a corner and came to a sudden halt as he saw a bloodied body laying on the ground. He saw Hongjoong huddled against the wall, covered in blood, staring at the ground blankly and trembling.</p><p>"Hongjoong..."Seonghwa sighed out, running over to the smaller male, and getting on his knees in front of him. "Hongjoong I'm here."</p><p>Seonghwa reached out for him, but the smaller male suddenly began crying out as he got close. He frowned at the male's sudden outburst but was quick to notice that there was a small wound on Hongjoong's forehead, a bloodied busted lip, and a bruised face. It was clear that Hongjoong had received a beating before this all happened. The smaller male was absolutely traumatized.</p><p>"Hongjoong, stop. It's me, calm down." Seonghwa said before pulling Hongjoong into his arms securely.</p><p>Hongjoong sobbed as he resisted in Seonghwa's arms, trying desperately to escape from his grasp. </p><p>"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Hongjoong cried out.</p><p>The red-haired male continued to fight for a while before he finally gave up, sobbing violently into the taller male's chest. Seonghwa held the sobbing male protectively, burying his face into Hongjoong's soft hair.</p><p>"You're okay... I'm here, I won't let anyone else hurt you. I'll fix all of this... I promise." Seonghwa soothed softly, trying to get him to calm down.</p><p>Seonghwa used a free hand to pull out his phone, calling his driver to come to pick them up at the opposite end of the alley. He also made a call to someone else to come to clean the mess up before authorities found out.</p><p>"I'll take care of you, you know I will," Seonghwa said as he stood up, lifting the smaller male in his arms as he began walking quickly down the alley. "You'll be okay..."</p><p>As soon as they came out of the alleyway, the black Cadillac pulled to a screeching halt in front of them on the side of the street. Seonghwa was quick to climb into the back of the car, still holding Hongjoong against his chest as they drove off.</p><p>"I-I... I killed him, S-Seonghwa... I killed h-him..." Hongjoong kept repeating the same thing over and over as he continued to sob.</p><p>"Shh... I know. You'll be okay, I promise. We'll be okay." Seonghwa said as he nuzzled his face into the smaller male's neck. "I shouldn't have sent you to do this... I'm so sorry."</p><p>Once they arrived back at Seonghwa's estate, Seonghwa didn't hesitate to carry Hongjoong inside. He quickly made his way back to the bedroom, taking him back to the bathroom. He sat Hongjoong on the side of the tub gently, grabbing at the bottom of the smaller male's shirt, but Hongjoong stopped him.</p><p>"Please... Please don't." Hongjoong said in a small voice, shaking his head.</p><p>"I'm not going to hurt you. You know I would never hurt you... Just let me clean you up." Seonghwa said before placing loving kisses on his forehead. "I'll be gentle."</p><p>After a brief moment of hesitation, Hongjoong let go of Seonghwa as he nodded slightly. Seonghwa sighed out then proceeded to gently lift the smaller male's shirt off. He saw a large bruise that was formed on Hongjoongs side, reaching out a hand as he felt it. Hongjoong yelped in pain, but Seonghwa had to check if any ribs were broken. Thankfully, his ribs were fine, so there was nothing to worry about.</p><p>Seonghwa turned on the water to the tub, making sure the temperature was cold instead of warm to soothe the bruise on Hongjoong's side. He proceeded to strip Hongjoong down to nothing, then helped him down into the water.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a hiss as he felt the cold water touch his skin. "I-It's cold..."</p><p>"Yes, I know. You'll adjust to it." Seonghwa said as he left his side briefly.</p><p>Seonghwa grabbed a washcloth, along with the first aid kit, before returning back to the smaller male in the tub. He got the washcloth wet, beginning to wipe Hongjoong's skin free of blood.</p><p>"Hongjoong... What happened back there?" Seonghwa questioned curiously. Hongjoong was the last person he'd ever see as capable of taking someone's life. "Please tell me."</p><p>Hongjoong dropped his head as he still trembled softly. "I-I don't... remember. H-He caught me... D-Demanded who sent me... B-Beat... Beat me... I-I... Blacked out... Then... W-When I c-came to... I-I was covered in b-blood on top o-of him." Hongjoong explained, quickly starting to sob again. "I killed him."</p><p>The state of his lover was heartbreaking, he had completely broken, and that was all his fault. Seonghwa felt guilt consume his chest as he continued with tend to Hongjoong's injuries carefully.</p><p>"This is all my fault... I shouldn't have sent you out unprotected. I vowed to never hurt you." Seonghwa said as he choked up, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. "Because of me, this happened to you... I'm so sorry."</p><p>Hongjoong didn't even have a reply to what Seonghwa was saying to him, he just continued to sob pathetically as the whole event replayed in his head over and over again. Every time he closed his eyes, he could feel the pain of being beat all over again, he could see blood flying all over the place.</p><p>Once Seonghwa was finished cleaning up the smaller male, he pulled the plug from the drain to let out the water. He then grabbed a towel from the rack beside the tub, grabbing ahold of the hysterical male in the tub as he lifted him up. Seonghwa wrapped the towel around him, holding Hongjoong close as he carried him out to the bedroom. He proceeded to sit on the edge of his bed with Hongjoong cradled in his lap.</p><p>"I'm so sorry... I'll never put you in harm's way again. You're done from now on..." Seonghwa buried his face into Hongjoong's damp hair as tears continued to fall from his eyes. "You're done. You're never leaving my side, and you're never doing this kind of work again."</p><p>Hongjoong closed his eyes as his cries became weaker. He was so emotionally ruined, he didn't even have the energy to cry anymore. He felt so disconnected from the rest of the world, all he could feel was pain and emptiness.</p><p> </p><p>(A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was so violent and heartwrenching. It hurt to write this out :((( )</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hongjoong wasn't the same after the incident with San Choi, his spirit seemed severely damaged and his attitude had done a whole 180. He had recurring nightmares night after night, playing out every moment in his dreams over and over again. He couldn't escape it no matter what he did.</p><p>After what happened, Seonghwa couldn't leave Hongjoong on his own anymore, he was afraid something would happen to him when he wasn't there because of how self-destructive he had become. So upon convincing the red-haired male to move in, Hongjoong had begun living with Seonghwa by the week was up. Seonghwa had most of his things brought to the estate, even his cat Bokki.</p><p>One morning, Seonghwa had woken up earlier than usual, around the time that the sun would be starting to peek its head over the horizon. Hongjoong stayed in the spare bedroom that was just on the other side of Seonghwa's, so he decided he would check on him just to calm his worried conscience.</p><p>Seonghwa threw on a black silk robe, tying the string around his waist loosely. He then made out of his room quietly, going over to Hongjoong's bedroom. When he opened the door, he expected to see the smaller male curled up and asleep in bed, but that wasn't the case. Hongjoong wasn't even in the room but his cat was curled up in the bed, and this made panic begin to surge through Seonghwa's body.</p><p>Where the hell is he? He thought to himself, leaving the room as he rushed down the hall.</p><p>Seonghwa came out to the living area, glancing out of the large windows that gave a panoramic view of the pool outside. When he saw Hongjoong sitting at the edge of the pool, relief waved over him. Seonghwa made his way outside quickly, approaching the smaller male.</p><p>"Yah... Why are you out here? I went to check on you, and I was scared when I didn't see you there." Seonghwa said as he knelt beside Hongjoong, looking over at him.</p><p>Hongjoong's head was held lowly as he stared blankly at the water. "I... I couldn't sleep. I needed some fresh air." The smaller male softly, not bothering to look at Seonghwa.</p><p>"How... How are you feeling?" Seonghwa questioned as he then sat down. "Can you look at me please?"</p><p>Hongjoong clenched his jaw softly, turning his head as he looked over at Seonghwa. His dark-colored eyes were so empty of life, remainders of bruises displayed on his face. He didn't say anything to Seonghwa, he just stared at him as if his mind were somewhere else but there.</p><p>"There's my sweet boy..."Seonghwa said sweetly. "Your bruises seem to be going away."</p><p>Seonghwa reached a hand out to touch Hongjoong's cheek, but before his hand even touched, Hongjoong seemed to flinch and move away slightly. Seonghwa hated seeing him like this. He just closed his hand and pulled away from him.</p><p>"I'm sorry." Seonghwa apologized, nodding his head subtly. "I forgot you don't want me touching you."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked a few times as he looked towards the ground with a sad expression. Suddenly, the smaller male scooted closer to Seonghwa, snaking his arms around his torso as he leaned into his chest.</p><p>"Just hold me..." Hongjoong said with a small whine.</p><p>Seonghwa gave a pitiful smile, cautiously wrapping his arms around Hongjoong. He held onto him securely, he wanted him to feel safe, but he knew Hongjoong wouldn't feel safe for a long time. They held each other as the color of the sky began to change to a soft blend of yellow and blue, the sun rising higher in the sky.</p><p>"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong began, letting out a quiet sigh. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. Every time I wake up, I'm filled with dread because I'm still here."</p><p>Seonghwa's chest tightened as he listened to was Hongjoong was saying. He then grabbed both sides of Hongjoong's face softly, making the smaller male look up at him as he frowned deeply.</p><p>"Don't say that... Please, don't say things like that." Seonghwa shook his head, pressing his forehead gently against Hongjoong's. "You don't understand how lost I would be without you. I'll get you all the help you need to come back to the person you were before. I promise."</p><p>"You don't get it, do you?" Hongjoong said coldly as he pulled his face away to look Seonghwa in the eyes. "The person we both knew is gone. The person we both knew isn't ever coming back."</p><p>"You don't know that, Joong... I have a close friend who's a psychiatrist trained specifically for people who've experienced things like this before." Seonghwa reassured, grabbing Hongjoong's hand softly.</p><p>"I don't need a shrink to try and fix me. What I need is for you to leave well enough alone." Hongjoong's demeanor suddenly changed as he stared coldly at Seonghwa. "If you keep trying to push me, I can't predict what I'm going to do. Stop trying to fix something you've already indirectly broken."</p><p>Seonghwa sat in silence, blinking his eyes in shock at what Hongjoong just said to him. Hongjoong then ripped his hand away, standing up from the side of the pool and headed inside.</p><p>"Joong! Wait!" Seonghwa called after him as he stood up.</p><p>The blonde-haired male just stood there, completely taken back by the whole situation. When he witnessed this behavior from his lover, it was almost like looking in a mirror, and that terrified him. If he didn't try to do something about this soon, he didn't know what Hongjoong was going to do next. He could either be a danger to himself or everyone around him, perhaps both at the same time.</p><p>__________________</p><p>A couple of days later...</p><p>__________________</p><p>Hongjoong hadn't spoken a word to Seonghwa after the conversation they had just two days before, he did everything in his power to avoid the blonde-haired male.</p><p>In the afternoon, Seonghwa was working in silence in his room when the cellphone upon his desk began to ring. He reached for the phone, reading the name on his phone as one of the new contacts he used to get vital information about certain people.</p><p>"Hello?" Seonghwa said as he answered, then listened to what the person on the other end was telling him.</p><p>"628 North Callaway Street... Penthouse 4? ... Oh, okay." He muttered as he then wrote the address upon a piece of paper. "Alright, thank you."</p><p>Seonghwa then hung up the phone, going back to the documents he had pulled up on his computer. What he didn't know was that Hongjoong was lingering outside Seonghwa's bedroom door, listening in.</p><p>"Looks like I know where I'm headed for the day," Hongjoong muttered to himself, then made his way down the hallway.</p><p>That morning, Hongjoong had stolen a pair of car keys from Seonghwa's desk while he was still sleeping, even the small handgun he had locked away in the bottom drawer. It was locked with a passcode, but he'd seen Seonghwa punch in the numbers numerous times before. He had it memorized by heart. He had it tucked in the back of his waistband.</p><p>Seonghwa didn't want him working on any cases due to his mental state, but Hongjoong was tired of being treated like he was a troubled child. If Seonghwa wasn't going to give him any leads, he was going to take leads for himself whether or not Seonghwa wanted him to.</p><p>Undetected, Hongjoong had slipped into the garage on the far end of the home, hitting the garage door button to raise one of the doors. He inspected the car keys to see which of the 5 cars they keys belonged to. The keys had a Mercedes emblem on it, and there was only one car in there that was that kind of model. Hongjoong jogged over to the car quickly, opening the driver's door and slipping into the driver's seat. He stuck the keys into the ignition, turning on the car before he put the car into gear and pulled out of the garage quickly.</p><p>__________________</p><p>About an hour later, a large man in a suit entered Seonghwa's bedroom, clearing his throat when he approached the desk.</p><p>"Uh... Sir? There's a problem." The man began.</p><p>Seonghwa looked up from his computer, raising a brow as he squinted his eyes. "And what kind of problem is that?"</p><p>"Well..." The man hesitated. "We don't know how this happened... But your Mercedes is missing, and Hongjoong is nowhere to be found."</p><p>Seonghwa widened his eyes, swallowing hard. "What do you mean he's nowhere to be found? Who the hell was working security? How long has he been gone?"</p><p>"Uh... About an hour, sir..."</p><p>"AND YOU WAITED TO TELL ME THIS FOR AN HOUR?!" Seonghwa suddenly shouted as he shot up from his chair.</p><p>"We've been looking for him for a while, we only just noticed the car was missing as well."The man said calmly. "We checked the GPS location on the car, and he seems to be somewhere along Callaway, sir."</p><p>Seonghwa felt his heart drop as he was quick to realize that Hongjoong must've been eavesdropping when he took the call earlier.</p><p>"He's going to get himself killed..." Seonghwa muttered, frantically grabbing a set of car keys from his top desk drawer.</p><p>He then opened the bottom drawer, noticing his handgun was missing out of the case.</p><p>"And he's fucking armed..." Seonghwa shook his head, immediately darting out of the room to the garage.</p><p>Seonghwa jumped into one of the cars, wasting no time as he peeled out of the garage, leaving black tire marks behind on the concrete. He recklessly weaved in and out of traffic, trying to get to the address as quickly as he could before Hongjoong harmed someone or himself.</p><p>In about thirty minutes, Seonghwa screeched to a halt in front of a 50 story penthouse building that was mostly filled with wealthy residencies. He got out of his car, bolting right through the lobby entrance. There was a security guard that was sitting at a desk beside the elevator that took you to each penthouse on every floor. The security guard was hunched over, face down, visibly knocked unconscious.</p><p>"Hongjoong..." Seonghwa whispered to himself, then made his way quickly to the elevator.</p><p>He pressed the button rapidly before the doors slowly opened, and he ducked inside. Seonghwa hit the number 4 button to take him to penthouse 4 where he knew he was bound to find Hongjoong. The doors of the elevator shut slowly, then began to rise floor by floor. The penthouse was only on the fourth floor, but it seemed like it took an eternity to get there.</p><p>Once the elevator came to a stop, the doors began to open, and Seonghwa squeezed through before the doors even opened all the way. Seonghwa looked around frantically, trying to see if Hongjoong was there. That was when he heard a man cry out in pain from the bedroom across the room from the elevator. Seonghwa immediately darted towards the bedroom. He tried to get into the room but the door was locked.</p><p>"Joong! If you're in there, please, stop!" Seonghwa yelled as he tried to force the door open.</p><p>Finally, Seonghwa took a step back, kicking the door hard as it burst open. He walked in, seeing Hongjoong with his back facing the door and standing over a stockier man knelt on his knees, Seonghwa's gun was in his hand and pressed right between the man's eyes.</p><p>"Joong... Think about what you're doing here, alright?" Seonghwa said cautiously, taking a few slow steps toward Hongjoong. "Look at me, Joong..."</p><p>Hongjoong slowly turned his head as he looked to Seonghwa over his shoulder, a twisted look in his eyes as he smiled in an unsettling manner. "Think about what I'm doing? I mean... I have a gun in my hand, my finger on the trigger, counting down the seconds this man has to live." Hongjoong said nonchalantly, his thumb cocking back the hammer on the gun.</p><p>"Joong... Please, this isn't you, alright?" Seonghwa tried to reason with him, putting his hands up as he continued to walk towards him slowly. "Put the gun down before you make a bigger mess."</p><p>"That's exactly what I'm here for, to make a bigger mess." Hongjoong let out a laugh, finally turning around as he now trained the gun on Seonghwa. "And if you get in the way... I'll gladly clear up that problem right away."</p><p>Seonghwa paused for a moment in his approach. The man on the floor was able to slip away quietly now that Hongjoong's attention was focused elsewhere. Seonghwa then continued to approach, not stopping until the barrel of his own gun pressed against his chest. He looked into the eyes of the smaller male without an ounce of fear on his face.</p><p>"Making a bigger mess won't change anything, it won't benefit you in any way. You'll gain nothing from doing this." Seonghwa said calmly, shaking his head.</p><p>"Yeah? Who said? You treat me like a fucking child, locked in that house like I'm a danger to the world." Hongjoong spat as he glared up at Seonghwa. "I'm more than capable of handling my own, I don't need you acting like I'm fragile." The red-haired male spat, pressing his finger onto the trigger gently.</p><p>Seonghwa noticed that Hongjoong now had his finger set on the trigger. "If you're going to shoot me, you better hope that it's a kill shot." He said as he grabbed the barrel of the gun, raising it to his forehead as he stared Hongjoong down.</p><p>"Just know, before you decide to pull that trigger, I regret everything I've ever done to you. I regret pulling you into this toxic world that I surround myself with day to day. I regret making you love me the most..." Seonghwa's expression softened as he tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat. "When I first met you, you seemed like a bright light amid the darkness that consumed my life. I can't tell you how grateful I am for you, and I don't even know where to begin about the love I have for you. I love you, Hongjoong... I wonder how I've allowed myself to completely destroy the one and only person that I truly love, and I'm so... SO sorry."</p><p>Seonghwa's bottom lip began to quiver as a single tear fell down his cheek. Hongjoong seemed to freeze for a moment after hearing all that Seonghwa had to say. The smaller male suddenly blinked a few times, shaking his head as he seemed to snap out of whatever episode he was experiencing.</p><p>Hongjoong then dropped the gun, taking his hand away as he started to breathe heavily.</p><p>"What am I doing? What have I done?" Hongjoong muttered to himself, running both hands through his hair as he grabbed two tight handfuls of his hair.</p><p>Seonghwa immediately grabbed the gun off of the floor, shoving the handgun into his waistband. He then got closer to the smaller male, pulling him into a tight embrace.</p><p>"Come back to me, Joong... Come back to me, alright? I'm here, no one is going to hurt you." Seonghwa said soothingly as he held Hongjoong close in his arms, feeling the red-haired male begin to calm down.</p><p>Before Hongjoong could say anything, a loud BANG rang through the air, making him jump from the sound.</p><p>"What the-" Hongjoong fell silent as he noticed Seonghwa's face was riddled with pain.</p><p>Blood began to seep through the fabric of Seonghwa's shirt on the right side of his chest, the taller male loosening his grip on Hongjoong as he suddenly collapsed to the ground. Hongjoong widened his eyes, completely mortified as he watched Seonghwa hit the ground. The red-haired male looked up to see the man from earlier holding a still-smoking gun. Without hesitation, Hongjoong snatched the gun from Seonghwa's waistband. He screamed at the top of his lungs as he was quick to aim the gun, unloading the whole clip of the gun as he riddled the man with bullets.</p><p>Hongjoong began to sob as he watched the man fall to the ground, lifeless, and he dropped the gun at his side. He then knelt to Seonghwa, pulling the unconscious male into his arms.</p><p>"Seonghwa!" Hongjoong cried out, tapping Seonghwa's gently as he tried to wake him. "Please don't leave me! Seonghwa, please! You can't leave! Wake up! Please!"</p><p>Hongjoong could barely see through his tears as he then felt Seonghwa's pockets, trying to see if he had his phone on him. Thankfully, his phone was in his right front pocket, and he was quick to pull it out as he dialed emergency services.</p><p>Hongjoong told the operator everything that had happened and told them to bring an ambulance as soon as they could.</p><p>"Seonghwa... Please don't leave me. I love you... Please." Hongjoong pleaded as he rocked the taller male in his arms gently, applying pressure to the wound on Seonghwa's chest to lessen the bleeding.</p><p>Seonghwa was bleeding out very quickly, blood seeping through the cracks of Hongjoong's fingers. Hongjoong sobbed hysterically as he continued to plead, he felt so hopeless as his lover laid bleeding out in his arms.</p><p>Soon, paramedics and a couple of police officers had come rushing through the door of the penthouse, making their way to the bedroom. One of the paramedics checked the pulse on the man that was riddled with bullets, but he was already gone. Once a group of paramedics came into the room, one of the police officers pulled Hongjoong away from Seonghwa.</p><p>"No! Please! He needs me! He needs me!" Hongjoong screamed through his tears, resisting against the man that held him back. "Let me go!"</p><p>The paramedics were quick to lift Seonghwa onto the gurney, putting an oxygen mask to his face before they started to rush him out of the penthouse.</p><p>"Seonghwa! Please let me go! I need to be with him! PLEASE!" Hongjoong cried out hopelessly, eventually giving up on fighting once the paramedics disappeared with Seonghwa.</p><p>The police officer then placed the smaller male into handcuffs, leading him by his arm to take him into custody. Since he was the only one that could give a statement at that moment, they needed to take him downtown for questioning.</p><p>Once they got to the ground floor of the building, the police officer dragged him to the police cruiser, placing him in the back of the cruiser. Hongjoong caught sight of the ambulance peeling off down the road towards the hospital.</p><p>"Seonghwaaa..." He sobbed as he pressed his forehead against the glass, watching the ambulance fade down the road.</p><p>Hongjoong desperately wanted to be with him, he feared that was the last time he would ever see his lover, covered in his blood. The world as he knew it was crumbling down at his feet, and it was all his fault.</p><p> </p><p>(A/N: wow this was the most chaotic, emotional chapter I've written for this story. I'm so hurt ahhhhhhhh)</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the next few hours, Hongjoong was held for questioning in a small, cold room as the authorities tried to figure out what the hell happened in penthouse 4. Hongjoong kept quiet for the longest time because he didn't know what to tell them. The truth would get him locked up without hesitation, and lying would only make the situation worse. All he could think about was Seonghwa, he wanted to know if he was okay, he NEEDED to know he was okay.</p><p>After spending the last hour in the room alone, a female walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. She walked over to the table that the red-haired male was sitting at, then took a seat across from him on the other side. She was a smaller female, maybe five-foot-two at most. Her black hair was tied back into a neat bun, naturally beautiful without any makeup upon her face, and dressed in a clean suit.</p><p>"Hongjoong, is it?" The female spoke softly, tilting her head as she looked at him. "I'm Detective Smin, I came to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"</p><p>Hongjoong looked up from his lap slowly as he laid eyes on the detective. "I've already said I'm not speaking to anyone. Not until someone tells me how Seonghwa is."</p><p>The detective smiled a bit, folding her hands on the table. "So I've been told. But in order to understand what happened today, I need to know every step of the incident today. I know you're scared, no one is going to hurt you."</p><p>"I'm not afraid of anyone hurting me. I'm not telling you a damn thing." Hongjoong said firmly, his gaze falling to the floor as he fell silent once again.</p><p>Detective Smin sat back in her chair as she sighed out. She then put a finger to her ear where an earpiece was placed, beginning to mutter something.</p><p>"Cut the feed as we discussed." She said softly, then turned her attention back to Hongjoong.</p><p>The soft whir of the camera's shutting down caused Hongjoong to look up once again, a look of confusion on his face.</p><p>Why did she cut the cameras? Hongjoong thought to himself, squinting his eyes at the woman suspiciously.</p><p>"Let me be upfront with you now that everything is off the record. I'm not a detective, I don't even work for the police department. I have no jurisdiction here, but they don't know that." The woman said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you, good things. My name is Hana Nims."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked with confusion then furrowed his brows slightly. "THE Hana Nims? The eldest daughter of the Nims operation?" Hongjoong suddenly realized something. "Detective Smin... I get it now... Smin is Nims backwards..."</p><p>"I see you understand then..." Hana said with a subtle shrug. "I need to find out what has happened to Seonghwa. As you probably know, he's a very beloved member of our family, and we need to hold someone accountable for what happened to him. YOU are the only one who's not dead, so I would greatly appreciate your cooperation."</p><p>"Member of your family? What do you mean he's a member? I didn't know outsiders could be apart of the family." Hongjoong seemed confused by what she was saying.</p><p>"You see... He's not an outsider, at least not to us. He's proven unbroken loyalty to us and proven that he's a wonderful addition to our operation. He's made more money for us and himself than anyone else we've had come through our front door. To my father, Seonghwa is the son he never had. Once my father passes away, Seonghwa will be appointed as head of the whole operation." Hana explained as he let out another sigh. "Please tell me everything that happened. If my father doesn't find out who did this, he'll automatically hold you accountable for everything, and you'll never walk on the streets again."</p><p>Hongjoong hesitated for a moment, still unsure if he should tell her everything or not. He figured she would probably be the only person who could help him out of this if he explained everything, and she would be able to get justice for Seonghwa.</p><p>After coming to a conclusion, he finally mustered up enough courage to tell her everything that happened earlier that day. He didn't leave out a single detail, even blaming the whole situation on himself. By the time he was done explaining, Hongjoong began to sob as he thought about Seonghwa bleeding out in his arms.</p><p>"One moment he was telling me that he loved me... The next, I killed the man that shot him and held him as he bled out in my arms..." Hongjoong sobbed softly as he held his head in his hands. "It's all my fault what happened to him. I kept pleading for him to wake up and not to leave me..."</p><p>Hana stared at the red-haired male as he sobbed. She could clearly tell that his devastation was genuine and not a ploy to fool her. Hana got up from her seat, kneeling before him as he pulled the male's hands from his face. </p><p>"Calm down, alright? What if I were to tell you that he pulled through surgery?" Hana said as he looked up at him with supportive eyes. "He's in critical condition, but he's going to pull through, alright?"</p><p>Hongjoong's sobs seemed to cease as a hopeful look grew on his face. "Are you able to take me to see him? Please... I'll do anything you want me to, just please let me see him." Hongjoong pleaded as he grabbed the woman's hands.</p><p>"I'll have you cleared as soon as I can, but right now you need to be patient until I'm able to do so, alright? You'll be with him soon enough, I can promise that." Hana reassured, smiling a bit as she pulled her hands away. "I'll have your released issued as soon as possible, and I'll have an escort take you to the hospital."</p><p>"Thank you... Thank you so much." Hongjoong forced a smile, nodding his head in understanding.</p><p>Hana nodded her head once, then stood to her feet as she made her way to the door. Without another word, she left Hongjoong alone in the room. Hongjoong could feel relief and excitement course through his body upon hearing that Seonghwa had survived.</p><p>___________________</p><p>About an hour later, the sound of the door opening caused Hongjoong to look up to see who was coming in the room. He saw that it was Hana, and she had a pair of cuff keys in her hand as she walked up to him. Hanah grabbed his wrist and quickly unlocked the cuffs before she removed them.</p><p>"Let me clarify one thing, alright?" Hana said as he leaned her face close to Hongjoong's face. "If you endanger his life again, I will not let it slide for a single moment. Do you understand me?"</p><p>"I..." Hongjoong was taken back by the sudden threat, but he quickly nodded. "I understand..."</p><p>"Then get out of here and go see him," Hana said in a low tone as she backed off of him.</p><p>Hongjoong slowly stood up as he rubbed his wrists, then made his way out of the interrogation room. A large man in a black suit waited directly outside the door, grabbing ahold of the smaller male's arm as he began to lead him out of the police station. The way people stared at him as he walked past made him very uncomfortable.</p><p>The man lead Hongjoong out to a blacked-out Cadillac, opening the back door as he allowed him to get into the car. Hongjoong could feel his heart beat heavily in his chest from the anticipation of being able to see his lover. The man then got into the driver's seat, pulling away from the police station as they made their way down the street.</p><p>They rode in silence for a little while before they came to the hospital. The man pulled the car in front of the entrance before turning to him.</p><p>"You're already registered as one of the people who can see him. Just state your name at the front desk and they'll tell you where he is." The man instructed, gesturing with his head for Hongjoong to get out of the car.</p><p>"T-Thank you..." Hongjoong said softly as he grabbed the door handle, pulling on it before he opened the door and hopped out.</p><p>Hongjoong closed the door behind him, and the man in the Cadillac pulled away as he drove off. The red-haired male watched the vehicle pull away briefly, then proceeded to walk through the automatic doors at the entrance. </p><p>He proceeded to make his way to the front desk, stopping once he got to it. Hongjoong placed his hands on the edge of the desk, clearing his throat.</p><p>"I'm... uh... I'm here to see Seonghwa Park. My name is Hongjoong Kim." He said a bit nervously, keeping his gaze fixed at his feet.</p><p>The nurse glanced up at him briefly, then began to search through the computer for the records.</p><p>"Ah... Here you are. I just need proof of I.D. and you'll be able to go on up." The nurse said with a smile as she looked at the red-haired male.</p><p>Hongjoong gave a subtle nod, reaching into his back pocket before pulling out a black leather wallet. He opened up the wallet, removing the plastic driver's license from the front pocket, the handing it to the nurse. The nurse quickly inspected the driver's license, then passed it back to him.</p><p>"Alright, Mr. Kim. Mr. Park is in recovery on the fifth floor. The room number is 411." </p><p>"Thank you," Hongjoong said with a nod, placing his I.D. and wallet into his back pocket.</p><p>Hongjoong made his way over to the elevators, pressing the button for the elevator to come down. The elevator made a soft ding as the doors began to open, and Hongjoong stepped in through the doors. He turned around and reached out a hand, pressing the number 5 button to go to the fifth floor. Soon the doors shut, and the elevator began rising floor by floor.</p><p>Hongjoong tapped his foot impatiently as he watched the numbers go by above the door. Once the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened slowly and Hongjoong stepped off the elevator as he walked down the hall. He inspected the room numbers carefully as he walked past each one.</p><p>"408... 409... 410... 411." Hongjoong counted them as he passed, then finally came to a stop in front of room 411.</p><p>The red-haired male seemed to hesitate for a moment as his hand hovered over the door handle. Taking a deep breath in, he grasped the door handle and turned it, pushing the door open slowly. His heart pounded in his chest, he didn't know if he was ready to face Seonghwa after everything that happened, but he desperately needed to seem him.</p><p>Hongjoong walked into the room, shutting the door gently behind him before he walked further into the room. As he saw Seonghwa laying in the hospital bed, he could feel a lump begin to swell in his throat. Seonghwa was more pale than usual, most likely caused by the blood loss. The taller male was propped up on several pillows, an oxygen tube in his nose that threaded around his ears as it was held against his face. He was connected to a beeping heart monitor and had various IV's taped into his hands.</p><p>"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong muttered to himself as he choked up.</p><p>Hongjoong walked to the side of his bed, grabbing ahold of one of the chairs and sitting it close to the side of the bed. He sat down slowly, reaching out and grabbing one of Seonghwa's hands as he leaned in close. Tears began to well up in his eyes, quickly spilling as he studied the state of his lover.</p><p>"I'm so sorry... I'm sorry." The red-haired male sobbed quietly, lowering his head and laying it into Seonghwa's lap. "Look what I've done to you..."</p><p>As he continued to sob into the taller male's lap, he suddenly felt a gentle hand run through the back of his head. Hongjoong lifted his head slowly as he looked up at Seonghwa. The blonde-haired male barely had his eyes open, a small, weak smile upon his lips.</p><p>"H-Hong..joong..." Seonghwa said in a hoarse, weak voice as he touched his lover's cheek softly.</p><p>The tears began to flow heavier as the smaller male just broke down. Hongjoong pressed his face into Seonghwa's hand as he shut his eyes while he sobbed.</p><p>"S-Stop... crying. Come here..." Seonghwa reached out and pulled on the other male's collar softly. "Sit... next to me."</p><p>Hongjoong got up from the chair and sat on the bed beside the taller male, still continuing to cry. Seonghwa then reached out with both arms, grabbing the smaller male by his arms and pulling him down into his chest. Seonghwa winced slightly from the tenderness beneath the bandage on his chest as he wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, holding him with as much strength as he could.</p><p>"I'm so glad you're... okay." Seonghwa said as he buried his face into the soft red hair of his lover.</p><p>"Seonghwa... I thought you were going to leave me. I thought I had gotten you killed." Hongjoong said through his sobs. "This is all my fault..."</p><p>"Stop..." Seonghwa shook his head lightly, closing his eyes. "It was just one bullet... I would've rathered... I take the bullet over you. I would stand in front of a bullet for your time and time again... as long as you were okay."</p><p>"None of this would've happened if I listened to you. If I followed your rules, you wouldn't have gotten shot."</p><p>"Hongjoong... Shut the fuck up." Seonghwa said with a slight cough, wincing a bit. "You're mentally not well. You didn't know... that any of this would happen. I should've gotten you help... instead of trying.... to fix you myself."</p><p>"When they took you from me I was sure I'd never see you again..." Hongjoong tried to lessen his sobs as he lifted his head to look at Seonghwa. "If it wasn't for Hana-"</p><p>"Hana? Hana Nims?" Seonghwa got a weird look on his face, sounding a bit uneasy. "You met Hana? When was this?"</p><p>"At... At the police station. She got me cleared and had an escort bring me here to the hospital." Hongjoong explained, frowning a bit at Seonghwa's reaction.</p><p>"Fuck..." Seonghwa sighed out, bringing a hand to his forehead. "One problem after another just keeps coming."</p><p>"What are you talking about? She seemed like it was no problem to help me."</p><p>"Hana Nims never does any favors without a price, she's not just going to leave you alone, Joong. She'll be back, whether it be tomorrow or months from now. She'll come back wanting a favor from you in return." Seonghwa explained as he looked down at Hongjoong.</p><p>"It can't be that bad, whatever she needs me to do, I'll do it." Hongjoong shrugged, shaking his head slightly.</p><p>Seonghwa shot a look at the smaller male. "You don't understand. It's not going to be a small, simple favor. You'll become an asset to her. Just like I-" He suddenly paused for a moment as he looked away. "Just like I did..."</p><p>Hongjoong looked a bit confused, sitting up as he tilted his head. "What are you talking about? You mean... That's why you do all of these things?"</p><p>"After my modeling career fell off, I was struggling to make money, on the brink of homelessness. Then I met Hana, and she seemed to fix everything that was going wrong for me. Before I knew it, I became one of their prized puppets. The bad thing about it is I enjoy every moment of what I do, I enjoy causing harm to people because of how poorly people have treated me." Seonghwa looked back at Hongjoong. "But you are NOTHING like me, Joong... You are so different from me, the complete opposite. What she'll have you do will ruin you for life."</p><p>Hongjoong stared at him for a while, unsure of what he should say at that moment at first.</p><p>"What if I'm already ruined? I mean... Look at the things I've done, Seonghwa. I killed a man, then got you shot while trying to take a hit for myself." Hongjoong said as he shook his head. "I'm already too far gone."</p><p>"No, you aren't. You're still clinging to that last bit of humanity left inside of you. I won't let her come near you, ever. If she ever comes around, I'll take your favor for you. I can't let you get involved with Hana's games." Seonghwa then grabbed Hongjoong by both of his cheeks. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"</p><p>Hongjoong nodded as he placed his hands over Seonghwa's hands. "I'm glad you're okay, Seonghwa...  I don't know what I would do without you... You're everything to me."</p><p>Seonghwa gave the smaller male a sweet smile, then pulled him closer by his face. He then connected his lips with his, giving Hongjoong a sweet kiss. Hongjoong kissed him back without hesitating, feeling extremely grateful that at the end of the day he was still able to kiss his lover.</p><p>"I love you, alright? Don't blame yourself for what happened today... As I said, I would gladly take the bullet for you over and over again." Seonghwa said softly.</p><p>"I love you too..."</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>About a week or so had passed since Seonghwa was shot, and he was finally getting released from the hospital to go home that evening. Hongjoong had spent every waking moment at Seonghwa's side, even when Seonghwa tried to convince him to go home, he wasn't leaving him no matter what. But while he was there, Hongjoong had also begun to receive psychological treatment for the excessive emotional trauma he'd gone through.</p><p>The incident was obviously covered up by the police, articles said it was a gang-related robbery gone wrong, and of course, it was swept under the rug like every other case that Seonghwa was involved in. Seonghwa's name wasn't even mentioned, neither was Hongjoong's name, they had both slipped out from under the heat of the situation, unnoticed.</p><p>When Seonghwa was released, he and Hongjoong returned back to his home later in the evening, which was a great relief to them both, Hongjoong especially. Hongjoong didn't get a whole lot of sleep while at the hospital, but now that they were home we would be able to rest easy.</p><p>"I can't even begin to express how glad I am to be back here. That hospital room was so tiny and cramped." Seonghwa sighed out as he walked in through the front door with Hongjoong.</p><p>"Okay, not every place is going to be as excessively large as this place, Seonghwa..." Hongjoong teased as he began walking towards the hallway with a bag of Seonghwa's stuff that he had at the hospital. "Spoiled, aren't you?"</p><p>Seonghwa looked over at Hongjoong with a slight smile. Ever since Hongjoong finally agreed to receive treatment, he could tell that there was a very slight improvement in his behavior. Hongjoong was back to cracking jokes, even teasing Seonghwa every once in a while as he had before, but he still struggled with disassociated episodes and the nightmares. The medications that he was put on helped for the most part.</p><p>"I am not spoiled. How rude of you to think so." Seonghwa said with a pout as he followed behind Hongjoong.</p><p>"Says the man who literally won't spend his money on anything if it's under $500." Hongjoong walked into Seonghwa's bedroom as he sat the bag he was carrying on the bed.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a slight laugh as he stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. "That is so not true. These accusations you're making are incredibly hurtful."</p><p>"Are you sure the pain you're feeling isn't just the gunshot wound on your chest?" Hongjoong glanced at Seonghwa over his shoulder with a slight grin. </p><p>"Oh-ho-ho-ho... Look at you getting your attitude back. What a fun time it'll be for us all?" Seonghwa had a playfully sarcastic tone. "Remember I don't like that attitude of yours."</p><p>"Oh? Are you threatening me?" Hongjoong questioned as he began to unpack the bag before him.</p><p>"Maybe, maybe not. Depends if you continue to provoke me like that." Seonghwa said with a shrug, pushing off the door frame as he walked over towards the bed.</p><p>"There's not much you can really do about it now is there?" Hongjoong raised a brow as he had come back over to the bag after putting some stuff away. </p><p>"Mm... I wouldn't say that." Seonghwa tilted his head, a small smirk curling the corner of his lip. "How about you come over here and find out?"</p><p>Hongjoong rolled his eyes before he shook his head. "I'd rather not. I know what exactly is going through that mind of yours, and the doctor said no vigorous activities for 3 weeks."</p><p>"Since when did you become my mother?" Seonghwa gave another pout, crawling onto the bed and grabbing the bag as he threw it to the ground.</p><p>Seonghwa was on his knees on the bed in front of Hongjoong, his signature charming smile plastered on his lips.</p><p>"Come on. Do you know how long it's been since we've done anything?" Seonghwa reached out and looped his fingers through the belt loops on Hongjoong's pants. "What a better way to celebrate our first night home in a while?</p><p>Hongjoong sighed out as he looked his lover in the eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, and I'm not trying come off as rude, but the reason why we haven't done anything is because of the total chaos that has consumed our worlds the past couple of weeks. I fucking killed a man in cold blood, and then you almost died because you got shot in the chest."</p><p>The smile on Seonghwa's face slowly faded. He let go of Hongjoong and sat just sat down on the bed with a sigh. "I... You're right... I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself. I didn't mean to upset you, Joong..."</p><p>Hongjoong stared at him for a while, then rubbed his face gently. "You're pitiful..." He then climbed onto Seonghwa's lap, straddling him with his arms wrapped loosely around the blonde-haired male's neck.</p><p>"What are you doing?" Seonghwa questioned as he looked Hongjoong in the eyes.</p><p>"Shut up," Hongjoong said before he pressed his lips against Seonghwa's lips.</p><p>Seonghwa didn't hesitate to kiss his lover back, his arms slowly snaking around the smaller male's hips as he held him close. Hongjoong licked at Seonghwa's bottom lip, basically pleading for entrance, and causing Seonghwa to let out a soft growl as he opened his mouth a bit. The smaller male slipped his tongue into the other male's mouth, gently dancing and caressing his tongue with his.</p><p>After a moment, Seonghwa suddenly pulled away from the kiss.</p><p>"Wait... I thought you didn't want to do this? If you don't want to, what are you doing?" Seonghwa said as he raised a brow.</p><p>"I never said I didn't want to. I just explained to you that we've been through so much lately so we haven't been able to do this." Hongjoong replied.</p><p>"Are you sure you're comfortable with this?" Seonghwa furrowed his brows slightly, he didn't want to do anything if Hongjoong wasn't okay with it.</p><p>"Will you just shut up and take me? You've never held back before, so why are you now?" Hongjoong then grabbed a handful of Seonghwa's hair, pulling on it playfully as he rubbed his ass into Seonghwa's lap.</p><p>Seonghwa clenched his jaw softly as he felt his lover rub against him, a small growl rumbling in his throat. Hongjoong smiled from this reaction, he knew that was the exact thing he needed to do to get Seonghwa going.</p><p>Seonghwa reached up and grabbed Hongjoong by the throat to assert his dominance, a glint of lust in his eyes. "Get up and strip for me. Now." He demanded as he let go his the smaller male's neck.</p><p>Hongjoong did as he said, getting off of Seonghwa's lap and standing in front of him. Hongjoong grabbed the bottom of his shirt, then raised his arms as he lifted the shirt over his head slowly and dropped it to the floor. Seonghwa watched him continue to strip down, biting on his bottom lip as he could feel the member in his pants hardening. When Hongjoong was finally bare in front of him, Seonghwa reached out with his hands and grazed his fingertips the along soft skin of Hongjoong's torso.</p><p>"You're so beautiful to look at..." Seonghwa cooed as his eyes wandered every inch of his lover. "All of this is mine."</p><p>"All yours..." Hongjoong replied sweetly, then proceeded to take Seonghwa's shirt off of him.</p><p>Hongjoong tossed the shirt aside, then grabbed Seonghwa's hand as he pulled the taller male to his feet. Hongjoong grabbed ahold of his waistband to undo the buttons, then proceeded to pull down the zipper. The red-haired male places gentle kisses along his lover's chest, being cautious of the bandage on his chest, then he pushed down Seonghwa's pants to his ankles.</p><p>Seonghwa then wrapped his arms around Hongjoong's hips firmly, pulling the smaller male close as he connected their lips together. Seonghwa rubbed his hips against his lover's, causing Hongjoong to let a small moan escape through the kiss as their bare members rubbed together.</p><p>Hongjoong then suddenly pushed Seonghwa back onto the bed, a slight grin on his face. Seonghwa looked up at him confused before he squinted his eyes.</p><p>"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" Seonghwa said in a low tone. "Don't tell me you're really going to try to stop me."</p><p>"No, of course not. I'm just going to do all the work so you don't strain yourself." Hongjoong said with a smile then grabbed the bottle of lube from the nightstand. "Give you a chance to relax while I make you feel good."</p><p>Hongjoong crawled onto Seonghwa as he flipped open the cap on the bottle, then tilted the bottle as the slippery liquid began to pour out. Seonghwa bit on his lip as he could feel the room temperature liquid cover his hardened member, then suddenly let out a hiss of pleasure as Hongjoong started stroking him. It was kind of hot that his lover was taking over, he didn't know Hongjoong was capable of doing it.</p><p>"Now that you're all ready... I want you to listen to me moan until you can't take it anymore." Hongjoong was enjoying how he teased Seonghwa.</p><p>Hongjoong then slicked up a couple of his own fingers before setting the bottle down. He leaned over Seonghwa and kissed his lips deeply. The smaller male reached back with his slicked fingers, then slowly began fingering himself as he let out sweet moans into the kiss.</p><p>Seonghwa growled lowly as he grabbed Hongjoong's hips roughly, the moans of his lover nearly sent him over the edge. Seonghwa bit down on the flesh of the smaller male's bottom lip playfully, triggering yet another sweet moan from him.</p><p>The taller male's member was just throbbing with anticipation, he couldn't take it anymore. Finally, he grabbed Hongjoong's hand and moved it way, then grabbed his stiff member as he positioned it at Hongjoong's entrance. Without warning, Seonghwa pushed down on his lover's hips roughly, making Hongjoong sit down on it.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a pathetic cry of pain and pleasure, feeling Seonghwa's length fill every inch inside of him. He forgot how much he loved that feeling. Hongjoong placed his hands on Seonghwa's shoulders as he sat up, beginning to bounce his hips slowly. The smaller male allowed his head to fall back as he let out deep moans of pleasure. </p><p>Seonghwa reached around with both hands to place them upon his lover's ass, gripping two handfuls of each cheek roughly. The tightness of his lover's velvet walls was almost intoxicating, sending him into a world of pleasure each time Hongjoong came down.</p><p>"Fuck, baby... I needed to feel you so bad." Seonghwa groaned softly, then smacked Hongjoong on the bum pretty hard.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a high pitched yelp, then bit on his lip proceeding to bounce his hips faster. Seonghwa pressed his head back into the bed, thrusting his hips upward each time Hongjoong came down to had more force. The smaller male let out whiny moans as the rough pounding he was receiving made his climax edge closer and closer.</p><p> Before he could even warn Seonghwa, he sat down all the way and shut his eyes tightly as he released all over Seonghwa's chest, moaning loudly. The smaller male began to tremble as the pleasure pulsed throughout his body. Seonghwa grinned at his lover's sudden orgasm, he loved seeing him like that.</p><p>"We're not done yet," Seonghwa said in a low voice.</p><p>The blonde-haired male grabbed ahold of Hongjoong's hair roughly and pulled him down on top of him. He began thrusting his hips as he proceeded to pound into his lover harder than before. Hongjoong cried out pathetically and buried his face into Seonghwa's neck. He bit down on the soft skin of his neck, making Seonghwa growl with pleasure. It wasn't long after that, that Seonghwa gave one last thrust as he released deep inside of Hongjoong with a few grunts.</p><p>Both males laid there for the longest time just breathing hard as they tried to come down from their orgasms. It was a great relief of stress for both of them, especially with all the things that had been happening recently. Hongjoong finally got off of Seonghwa, collapsing face-first onto the bed soon after. His legs felt weak from how hard he was pounded.</p><p>Seonghw pulled the smaller male into his arms, holding him close and placing gentle kisses along Hongjoong's jawline. </p><p>"God... I love you so much, Joong... So much." Seonghwa whispered breathlessly into his lover's ear.</p><p>"I love you more, Seonghwa... I love you more..." Hongjoong muttered tiredly in response.</p><p>The two didn't even bother to clean up, let alone cover themselves up. They were both exhausted by the steamy encounter that they both just passed out cold in each other's arms.</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another week had passed since the two settled in back at home together, all seemed to be going well, or so they thought. Seonghwa was recovering pretty well, his wound no longer hurt that bad unless direct pressure was added onto it. Hongjoong, well, that was different. While he seemed to be showing progress, that was a facade he put on for Seonghwa so he didn't worry.</p><p>The treatment he was receiving was helping, but not to the extent that he wanted to. Hongjoong understood that things like this would take months, possibly years to recover from, but he was becoming increasingly impatient with the slow progress of it all. As much as he tried to hide it from his lover, Hongjoong felt himself slipping again, and he didn't know what was going to happen once he let himself slip.</p><p>One morning, Hongjoong had slept in Seonghwa's bed the night before, so he'd awoken engulfed by the arms of his lover holding him from behind. Hongjoong rubbed his eyes gently before he looked to the clock beside the bed on the nightstand. He noticed it was only 5:45 in the morning, but instead of trying to fall back asleep, he decided he would take a bath instead. </p><p>Quietly and carefully, he managed to snake his way out of his lover's arms without waking him. All Seonghwa did was groan slightly and roll over onto his other side. Hongjoong made his way into the bathroom, he pushed the door to shut it, hearing the soft click as the door latched shut. Hongjoong made his way over to the sink, kneeling down to the cabinet as he opened it, then pulled out an orange bottle of his medication. He shut the cabinet before he stood up straight, uncapping the bottle.</p><p>Hongjoong hesitated for a moment as he stared at the bottle full of pills, invasive thoughts beginning to eat away at him. Finally, he just quickly dumped two pills into his hand, tossing them into his mouth and swallowing them without any water. Hongjoong threw the pills back under the sink, then leaned on the edge of the counter as he sighed out. </p><p>Hongjoong stared at himself in the mirror for a while, except the person looking back at him seemed foreign, like he wasn't staring at his own reflection, instead, he was staring in the eyes of someone else. He suddenly reared back a fist like he was going to punch the mirror, but he stopped himself. He began to shake slightly and breathe a bit hard.</p><p>"Fuck me..." Hongjoong whispered to himself as he pushed off the counter. "Keep it together, Hongjoong. You'll make it through this."</p><p>The red-haired male then made his way over to the large clawfoot bathtub, thinking the bath would make him feel better as he waited for the medication to take effect. He stripped off the loose t-shirt, tossing it to the floor, then stripped off the pajama pants and boxers he was wearing. Hongjoong leaned down to turn on the faucet of the tub, turning the knob to warm as he felt the water.</p><p>Once the water was filled up enough in the tub, he shut off the water, then slowly lowered himself down into the tub. He sighed out and closed his eyes as he leaned back against the headrest.</p><p>Hongjoong hadn't been in there long when he all of a sudden got dragged into one of his episodes again. He was back at the alley with San Choi, he could feel every blow collide into him like he was there all over again. Then he began seeing blood, lots of blood. He saw himself facing a single mirror in total darkness, facing his own reflection. The man he saw in the mirror had a deranged, wicked smile upon his face, blood dripping from his hands and face. Then suddenly, the mirror shattered into a million pieces. Gallons and gallons of thick, crimson liquid began rushing at him like a break in a dam. No matter how hard he tried to fight against it, he was overtaken by all of it, engulfed by the powerful flood of blood. The taste of copper in his mouth as the flood forced down his throat and up his nose as he desperately tried to gasp for air.</p><p>That's when Hongjoong suddenly snapped back to reality, he woke up coughing up water and gasping for breath. He then realized he was laying on the tile floor, Seonghwa was above him, it seemed the blonde-haired male had performed CPR to bring him back. There were tears in Seonghwa's eyes as he cupped his hands on Hongjoong's cheeks as he continued to cough.</p><p>"I thought you wouldn't come back. You were under the water when I found you in here, and when I pulled you out you weren't breathing." Seonghwa sobbed as he leaned down, pressing his forehead against Hongjoong's forehead.</p><p>"I-I don't know what happened..." Hongjoong muttered out once he was able to catch his breath. "I closed my eyes and then..."</p><p>"Did you have one of your episodes again?" Seonghwa said as he then pulled the smaller male into his arms, holding Hongjoong like he was a baby.</p><p>"I-I think so... I took my medication, then stepped in the tub to relax. I-It seemed to suck me in, I didn't even know what was going on. The things I saw..." Hongjoong shook his head, still seeming to come down from the shock of it.</p><p>Seonghwa sighed out as he composed himself, sighing out worriedly. "That's it. I'm calling Dr. Kang, I'll have him come by and we need to discuss better options for you. I thought you were getting better."</p><p>"Seonghwa... I haven't been getting better. In fact, I haven't changed. I only told you I was getting better so that you wouldn't worry about me." Hongjoong looked away, knowing Seonghwa wouldn't be happy with this confession.</p><p>Seonghwa frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry, you what? Joong, do you even realize how fucked up that is? I'm trying to get you help, I know I can't completely fix you, but I can at least provide you with someone who can. You can't just act like you're okay when you're not."</p><p>Hongjoong then sat up, pulling himself out of Seonghwa's arms. "I don't want help. It's not even doing what I want it to anyways."</p><p>Hongjoong got up off the floor, grabbing a towel from the rack beside the tub, then wrapping it around his waist. Seonghwa also got up from the floor, grabbing the smaller male by his waist as he pulled him in close.</p><p>"Joong... You're not just going to be fixed overnight. The things you've gone through have been utterly traumatizing. It's going to be a long time until you're finally okay, and until then you need to keep receiving help, regardless if you want to or not." Seonghwa said as he reached up a hand and touched Hongjoong's cheek.</p><p>"I thought the first step in getting better was WANTING to get help." Hongjoong squinted his eyes slightly. "I appreciate the effort you're putting into this, but I don't want help anymore. I don't want to do it anymore.</p><p>"Why? Because you're so damn impatient over the fact that you're not speeding through recovery? Look at yourself! I just pulled you out of the bath and had to bring you back because you nearly drowned. You're not okay, Joong!" Seonghwa tried to reason with him as best as he could. "You need some serious help. Please just listen to the words I'm saying!"</p><p>"You're not okay! You're not okay! Your mind is fucked up!" Hongjoong said in a mocking tone, clearly becoming angry as his ears began to burn bright red. "I know I'm not fucking okay! I know my mind is royally fucked up, but that's not my fucking fault, now is it?!"</p><p>Seonghwa tilted his head as he squinted his eyes. "What exactly are you trying to say?"</p><p>"I'm saying every god damn thing that's wrong with me is because of you! I lived a perfectly normal life until you swooped in and turned my world completely upside down! Because of you, I can't even sleep at night because of the things I've done!" Hongjoong completely unloaded on Seonghwa as he pulled away from his grasp. "None of this would've happened if I just stayed the fuck away from YOU!"</p><p>Seonghwa let out a bitter scoff, hurt forming in his eyes. "You act like I had any intention of all of this happening. After all the things I've done for you, this is how you want to treat me? I've fed you, cared for you, gotten you help and put you up on a god damn fucking pedestal because you're my whole world! And that's still not enough for you?!" Seonghwa frowned deeply as he began to raise his voice. "I NEVER ONCE intended for you to get hurt! Not for a single moment!"</p><p>"IF YOU DIDN'T WANT ME TO GET HURT THEN YOU NEVER WOULD'VE BROUGHT ME INTO YOUR FUCKED UP LITTLE WORLD! YOU SAID IT YOURSELF, I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU! THIS IS NOT THE WORLD I BELONG IN, YET YOU STILL DRAGGED ME DOWN WITH YOU!" Hongjoong snapped, suddenly shoving Seonghwa back, hitting the sensitive spot where he'd gotten shot.</p><p>Seonghwa stumbled back a bit from the sudden shove. He hunched over as he gripped his chest, letting out a groan of pure pain. Seonghwa swallowed hard, trying to breathe through the pain as he looked up at Hongjoong. The blonde-haired male tried to keep himself calm as he glared at him.</p><p>"If you don't want to be apart of this world because you hate it so much... Then leave. Get your shit and go." Seonghwa growled, clenching his jaw tightly. "Let's see who else gives a single shit about you once you leave."</p><p>Seonghwa stood straight again, shaking his head as he licked his bottom lip. "I'm done, Joong... I can't keep doing this with you. I'm tired of giving you the whole world on a golden platter, then having you spit it back in my face. If you hate me so fucking much, then just leave. Get your things, and get the fuck out." Seonghwa choked as a lump began forming in his throat.</p><p>After Hongjoong realized what he'd just done, regret began to fill his gut. Seonghwa was right about everything, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.</p><p>"Seonghwa, I-" Hongjoong began before he was cut off.</p><p>"I SAID GET OUT! LEAVE!" Seonghwa shouted as a couple of tears started to fall down his cheeks. "I'M DONE, JOONG! GET THE FUCK OUT!"</p><p>Hongjoong flinched slightly when Seonghwa yelled at him, dropping his head as he looked at the ground. The red-haired male grabbed all of his things from the bathroom, then walked past Seonghwa as he left the bathroom without another word.</p><p>Seonghwa felt so defeated, so tired of it all. The blonde-haired male just dropped back onto the tile floor, beginning to sob deeply. Seonghwa pulled his knees up, resting his elbows upon his knees as he grabbed his hair with both hands tightly. He didn't want any of this to happen, but it was already too late for that. Seonghwa couldn't keep playing these endless games with Hongjoong no matter how deeply he cared about him, it was driving his own self insane.</p><p>It was clear that the relationship between them was toxic, and neither of them deserved one another. Everything they had built together was over.</p><p>_____________________</p><p>Two months later</p><p>_____________________ </p><p>That day, Seonghwa had been called into a meeting with Samuel Nims and his daughter, Hana. Mr. Nims said it was important, so of course, he made his way to the Nims estate that was located further outside of June, about an hour south. Seonghwa had one of his men drive him there as usual.</p><p>Seonghwa had changed his appearance slightly, instead of the platinum blonde hair he had before, it was now a shade of black, ebony almost. His hair was styled neatly with gel, the sides of his head cut into a close fade with two lines cut into the side of his head. He'd even gotten a tattoo on the right side of his neck of a smoking rose, shaded in with realistic detail. Seonghwa was handsome before, but with his subtle changes, women, even men, found the notorious businessman hard to resist.</p><p>Once he had arrived at the estate, he was escorted inside by two men dressed in grey Italian stitched suits, armed with heavy guns as a form of security. He was lead down a series of winding hallways that seemed to make the large estate into a maze. Finally, they lead him to a very spacious, victorian styled office that was clearly empty.</p><p>"Mr. Nims will be with you in a moment, please, have a seat." One of the men said, gesturing to two leather chairs sat in front of an amber-colored desk before leaving with the other man.</p><p>"Hmm..." Seonghwa hummed to himself, fixing his suit slightly as he walked over to the chair, sitting down gently.</p><p>After about ten minutes, Mr. Nims came into the room. Samuel was a very tall man, standing about six-foot-four, and a bit on the stockier side. His pale skin was wrinkled with age, but he was still considered rather handsome for someone of his age.</p><p>"Ah... Seonghwa. I'm glad you could come on short notice." Samuel said with a smile, walking over to his desk and sitting down.</p><p>"Of course, sir. Whenever you need me, you know you can always count on me." Seonghwa said as he nodded his head politely.</p><p>"And that's why I'm so proud to have you apart of what we have here. You've proved to be the most loyal and hardworking man here, aside from myself of course." Samuel said with a chuckle.</p><p>"So why have you called me in here?" Seonghwa tilted his head, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands in his lap.</p><p>"Ah, yes. One moment." Samuel held up a finger, then looked over towards the door. "Mr. Kim, will you bring that envelope in please?"</p><p>Seonghwa's brows immediately furrowed with suspicion. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he could see a smaller male with longer white hair walk up. Seonghwa didn't see what his face looked like at first. The white-haired male was dressed in a long-sleeved, close-fitted dress shirt, a golden watch on his wrist, and black dress pants.</p><p>When the smaller male stood beside Mr. Nims to place the envelope on the desk, he was now facing Seonghwa, and Seonghwa instantly recognized who he was.</p><p>"Joong..." Seonghwa muttered while he blinked in shock.</p><p>"Ah, I forgot. You two knew each other VERY WELL once upon a time, correct?" Samuel grinned as he grabbed the envelope.</p><p>"Seonghwa," Hongjoong said in a blunt tone, raising a brow.</p><p>"Samuel, what the hell is this?" Seonghwa sat forward in the chair, gritting his teeth.</p><p>"Well, it's business, my son. That's why I called you here." Samuel replied, acting as if he were innocent.</p><p>"You KNOW what I'm talking about. Do what you want with me, but you leave Hongjoong out of this." Seonghwa snapped, glaring at Samuel with intense eyes.</p><p>"I came here voluntarily, Seonghwa. I'm not being forced into anything. You better have more respect for your employer." Hongjoong tilted his head as he squinted his eyes.</p><p>Samuel laughed, clapping his hands together. "Isn't this kid amazing? Hard-working and... He knows his place, unlike some. He's been so very helpful this past month."</p><p>"Why the hell did you call me here? So you could rub HIM in my face? You think this is funny?" Seonghwa's eyes became intense as the anger grew in his stomach.</p><p>"Seonghwa, please, you know me better than that. I would NEVER rub your former lover in your face for my own personal gain." Samuel frowned slightly, then held out the envelope to Seonghwa. "I need you to work on a case for me. That pesky Choi family keeps messing in our business, and I'd like for you to handle it."</p><p>"And what's in it for me? What do I get out of this if I accept?" Seonghwa raised a brow as he looked at Samuel.</p><p>Samuel laughed once again as he shook his head. "You're starting to sound more and more like me every day, Seonghwa. But alright, I guess I could arrange something." </p><p>"And that would be?" Seonghwa replied.</p><p>"Well, how about I appoint this fine young man as your assistant. Your work has been slacking significantly lately, I'd say you need him." Samuel said with a slight smirk.</p><p>Hongjoong widened his eyes slightly as he looked between Mr. Nims and Seonghwa. </p><p>"Sir, please, I can't-" Hongjoong was cut off by the older male beside him.</p><p>"You can and you WILL," Samuel demanded as he glanced at Hongjoong. "Remember who you're speaking to. You don't want a repeat of last time."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked a few times then dropped his head in surrender, falling silent after that. The anger in Seonghwa's gut grew even more after hearing that. He knew Samuel must've done something to Hongjoong, and it tore at him inside.</p><p>"Alright... Fine. I'll take the case, and... Hongjoong." Seonghwa growled slightly as he snatched the envelope from Samuel.</p><p>"Well, good. Now if we're at a mutual understanding, get the hell out of my office." Samuel barked, shooting a look at Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa stood up from the chair, then walked over to Hongjoong as he grabbed his arm a bit rough. Seonghwa began dragging the smaller male out of the room and down the series of hallways.</p><p>"Seonghwa, what the hell? You're hurting me, let go. I can follow you just fine." Hongjoong hissed from the firm grasp on his arm.</p><p>"Shut the fuck up. We're gonna have a LOT to talk about." Seonghwa said with anger through his teeth. "Two fucking months later and you end up here..."</p><p>Seonghwa and Hongjoong soon left the Nims estate, sitting in the car ride back to Seonghwa's estate in complete silence. Seonghwa kept clenching his jaw and fidgeting with the gold ring around his middle finger. Hongjoong couldn't even look at Seonghwa the whole time. He hadn't seen him in so long after what happened, being in the same vicinity as him was incredibly nerve-wracking. </p><p>Once they had arrived back at Seonghwa's estate, Seonghwa grabbed ahold of the smaller male one again and drug him inside.</p><p>"Seonghwa! Stop dragging me! What the hell is your problem?!" Hongjoong exclaimed as he was dragged into Seonghwa's bedroom.</p><p>Seonghwa kicked his bedroom door shut, then turned to Hongjoong with an intense look in his eyes.</p><p>"Why did you go to the Nims? Why the fuck would you do that?" Seonghwa seethed as he got close to the smaller male. "Are you stupid or suicidal?"</p><p>Hongjoong frowned up at the black-haired male. "My decisions are NO concern of yours. You threw me out when I needed you the most. Why do you care that I went to them for help? At least they did something for me."</p><p>"And I did NOTHING for you, correct? That's fucking rich. I didn't throw you out just because I felt like it. I threw you out because no matter what I did for you, it was NEVER enough for you. I tried helping you, I tried everything in my fucking power to help you. Don't you DARE say I didn't do a damn thing for you because I took a fucking bullet for you, asshole." Seonghwa snapped as he pointed a finger in his face. "I risked EVERYTHING for you."</p><p>"Yet you still threw me out. That's really cute, Seonghwa, such a loving partner you were." Hongjoong spat in response.</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly backed the smaller male against his bedroom door and had him pinned, glaring down at him. "I fucking loved you, with every ounce of my being, Hongjoong. You can't tell me I did nothing to prove that because I did. Not to mention how many times I fucking saved your life. I understand I pulled you into a world of hurt and toxicity, but not once did I ever betray my love for you. I told you every waking moment that I loved you. You were the light to my darkness, you brought out a side in me no one has ever seen before, and you stood at my side with undivided loyalty. Don't you DARE start acting like a hypocrite."</p><p>"I'm not acting like a hypocrite. If you truly loved me like you say you did, you wouldn't have thrown me out at my worst point. Do you know what happened to me after I left here?" Hongjoong said as he suddenly rolled up his sleeves, holding up his arms to display deep, freshly pink scars running vertically along with his arms. "I nearly died because I was abandoned, I was left alone, discarded like trash."</p><p>Seonghwa looked down as he saw the fresh scars, feeling a lump start to form in his throat as is demeanor changed. Seonghwa backed up a bit as he grabbed Hongjoong's wrists so he could look at them closely. He began to regret everything after that. Seonghwa thought he handled it roughly, but Hongjoong had gone to a whole different level.</p><p>"Joong..." Seonghwa muttered, shaking his head. "I never wanted this to happen."</p><p>"You don't get to call me that anymore. Since I am strictly just your assistant, you will address me by my whole name." Hongjoong said bitterly as he yanked his wrists away. "We're done here. I'll be in my old room if you really need me for something important."</p><p>Hongjoong turned as he grabbed the door handle, yanking the door open as he stormed down the hall. </p><p>"Hongjoong! Get back here!" Seonghwa called after him. "I'm not done with you!"</p><p>When Hongjoong didn't return, Seonghwa grabbed his door and slammed the door hard, knocking a few pictures off the wall as they shattered. Seonghwa then began to pace his room as he ran his hands through his hair.</p><p>"Fuck!" Seonghwa yelled as he walked to his desk, shoving everything off of it including his laptop.</p><p>He didn't know how well he was going to manage with Hongjoong working for him again, but all he knew was that it was probably going to cause way more hell than last time.</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p><p>(A/N: Sorry this was so long! hope you enjoyed &lt;3)</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Seonghwa was sitting at his desk with his face buried in his laptop as he went over the details of the case that Samuel had given him. He was trying to set all the details into place so he knew exactly how to handle it.</p><p>Soft footsteps entered the room as he was working. He didn't even bother to look up from the screen of his laptop, but he knew it was Hongjoong just by the very familiar presence filling the room.</p><p>"I'm very busy right now, whatever it is, I don't have time for it," Seonghwa said as he sighed out softly, reaching out with his hands and typing something on the keyboard.</p><p>"Is there anything that I can help you with? I am your appointed assistant, so..." Hongjoong said as he approached Seonghwa at his desk.</p><p>"No, there isn't. If you want to assist me with something," Seonghwa began as he glanced at Hongjoong. "Get me a drink and leave me alone."</p><p>Hongjoong frowned slightly, then slammed his hands on the edge of Seonghwa's desk. The smaller male leaned in, tilting his head.</p><p>"I don't know the Hongjoong you seem to remember, but that part is gone. I am NOT your maid, I WILL NOT get you a drink. I just want to help you with this case." Hongjoong sighed out. "Quit acting like a pouting child."</p><p>Seonghwa let out a bitter chuckle before he slowly shut his laptop. The black-haired male also leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk.</p><p>"It's so rich that Samuel believed you had the capability of knowing your place. The only one who's acting like a pouty child is you, throwing a fit because I won't let you assist me with my work. I don't have time for your unnecessary impudence, Hongjoong." Seonghwa said with poison on the tip of his tongue as he smiled. "As I said, if you want to assist me with something, get me a FUCKING drink."</p><p>"Yah! Who the hell-" Hongjoong raised his voice in protest but was cut off by a firm hand grabbing his face.</p><p>"I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth, Hongjoong. If you so much as utter a single curse word under your breath, I AM going to lose my temper with you." Seonghwa warned in a low tone, the smile still plastered on his lips. "And you've seen me lose my temper so many times... Do you really want that?"</p><p>Seonghwa tightened his grip on Hongjoong's face, causing him to grunt uncomfortably before Seonghwa let go of him. Hongjoong frowned deeply as he rubbed his cheeks softly.</p><p>"Now, get the hell out," Seonghwa demanded, opening his laptop back up.</p><p>Seonghwa immediately went back to what he was doing before, acting as if Hongjoong wasn't in the room anymore. The white-haired male let out a soft sigh, then turned on his heels to walk out of the room. The attitude that Seonghwa had with him was way more cold than the attitude he'd had when they'd first met. Instead of the playfully twisted man Hongjoong knew, he was more serious and cold-hearted.</p><p>___________________</p><p>Later in the day...</p><p>___________________</p><p> </p><p>Hongjoong had a silver platter in his hands as he walked into Seonghwa's room later in the day. Upon it was a large, glass decanter filled with a caramel-colored liquid inside, two small glasses, and a silver bowl filled with ice.</p><p>Seonghwa looked up from the papers that he was studying, raising a brow when he saw Hongjoong approaching his desk with the platter.</p><p>"What are you doing in here? Didn't I tell you earlier today to get the hell out?" Seonghwa said with a displeased tone.</p><p>"Yes, but you also told me to get you a drink, and here I am doing as was asked of me," Hongjoong replied, setting the silver platter down gently. "I figured whiskey would do the trick for you."</p><p>"Why are there two glasses? You don't really think you can have a drink with me, do you?" Seonghwa made a weird face, sitting back in his chair as he let out a scoff.</p><p>"Actually, I do. Lose your temper on me all you want, go ahead." Hongjoong flashed a subtle smile, uncapping the glass decanter.</p><p>Seonghwa just stared intensely at the smaller male, trying to keep his composer despite being consistently tested. Hongjoong put a couple of ice cubes into each glass, then picked up the decanter in his hand before he poured equal amounts of the caramel-colored liquor into each glass. Hongjoong picked up one of the glasses and set it in front of Seonghwa. He grabbed the other glass in his hand, then sat down in the leather chair adjacent to Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa took in a deep breath, quickly tossing back the whiskey like it was water and returning his attention back to the paperwork.</p><p>"So if you won't let me help, will you at least share the details with me?" Hongjoong questioned, taking a drink from the glass in his hand.</p><p>"Why do you keep shoving your nose into places it doesn't belong, Joong?" Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong as he realized what he'd just said, then cleared his throat. "Pardon me... Hongjoong." </p><p>Hongjoong blinked a couple of times as he noticed the little slip, but decided to ignore it. "Well, it has to do with the Choi family, which I just so happen to be unfortunately related to. That's why I want to help."</p><p>"You should be grateful that you're still alive because if the Choi family couldn't get their hands on you, Samuel would've surely snapped off if he knew you were related to the death of Mr. Choi's eldest son." Seonghwa rolled his eyes with a slight frown.</p><p>"Well..." Hongjoong paused before he tossed back the rest of the whiskey. "Samuel already knows about it, more like he already knew about it when I came to them. I don't know how but..."</p><p>"Wait, what do you mean he already knew about it?" Seonghwa tilted his head. "And you came out unscathed."</p><p>"I wouldn't necessarily say that I came out unscathed," Hongjoong said softly as he reached for the decanter, pouring them both another glass and setting the decanter back on the platter.</p><p>Seonghwa swallowed a bit dryly, but he tried to not let his concern show as he stared the smaller male down.</p><p>"What are you talking about? You seem to be in one piece to me." Seonghwa was curious as to what Samuel had done to Hongjoong.</p><p>Hongjoong suddenly dropped his head as he looked at his feet. He wasn't haunted by the things that happened to him, but he just didn't like talking about them.</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly got up from his chair, rounding to the other side in front of Hongjoong, then sat on the edge of his desk. The black-haired male reached out a hand as he lifted Hongjoong's face by his chin, making him look up at him. </p><p>"Hongjoong... What did Samuel do to you?" Seonghwa could no longer hide his concern, he knew how brutal Samuel could be, and he needed to know.</p><p>"I... I can't tell you. It's best to show rather than trying to explain it." Hongjoong said as he slowly stood up out of his chair.</p><p>Hongjoong began unbuttoning each individual button on his shirt, clenching his jaw as he took in a deep breath through his nose. Once he was done with the buttons, he turned around and pulled his shirt back, allowing it to fall down to his waist as he revealed his back. Hongjoong's back was covered in scars from lash marks, clearly made by some sort of whip or riding crop.</p><p>Seonghwa could feel his heart tighten in his chest at the sight before him. He reached out a hand slowly, touching the scars on the smaller male's back softly. Hongjoong flinched slightly in response, then suddenly lifted his shirt back up. He didn't waste any time buttoning the shirt as he turned back around.</p><p>"I want you to know that going to them didn't come without a price. I definitely paid for the problems that I had caused in more ways than one. So when you asked me if I was just stupid or suicidal yesterday, it was just me being utterly stupid. I didn't expect that kind of welcome, but at the same time I knew better." Hongjoong chewed on his lip slightly as he looked at Seonghwa. "Now here I am again, placed in your fucked up little world."</p><p>Seonghwa sighed deeply and grabbed his glass, tossing back the second round of whiskey as he tried to chase the guilt in his chest with the burn of the liquor.</p><p>"I'm sorry you can't evet get away from me. I'm sorry that I've caused you so much tragedy and pain." Seonghwa said as he rubbed his face. "To be honest... In the beginning, I was only using you as an asset. The beginning of our relationship was just purely business to me, but I knew it was so much more to you. But that changed after everything that had happened with San Choi. I needed to protect you, I needed to hold you close, I needed to give you the world..."</p><p>Hongjoong frowned slightly as he listened. "What are you-"</p><p>"Please, just let me finish, alright? I need to tell you the complete and honest truth because if I don't do it now then I'll never have the courage to tell you later on." Seonghwa cut Hongjoong off, making the smaller male go silent. "I know to you it seemed like I was just holding you down and drowning you in this world I call my own, but I wasn't. I couldn't let go of you because you were the best thing that had ever happened in my life. I've been with the Nims family for so long, ever since I was 18 years old, so all I've ever known is cons, hits, drugs, every bad fucking thing you can think of. When I met you, you seemed like the answer to my problems. You changed who I was more than you think. You took this dark, suffocating world I live in, and you paved a way for me to crawl out. Yet, in the process, it damaged you more than it did myself, and I was so selfish that I ignored it until it was too late. Throwing you out of my life was the worse thing I've ever done, but bringing you into my life in the first place was the first domino in this whole fucked up chain of events. This is me admitting my faults to you, this is me apologizing with every ounce of my being. You deserve so much better than this life, Hongjoong. I'm so sorry for everything."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked a few times as he was completely taken by the words Seonghwa had said. He didn't know how to react to this, nor did he know what to say.</p><p>"Seonghwa... Do you really mean all of that?" Hongjoong questioned with a slight tilt of his head.</p><p>"Every single word. I've come to understand why you secretly hated me so much, and it took two months alone to realize it." Seonghwa ran a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "I've destroyed every person that has come into my life. I guess that's apart of the bad guy description."</p><p>"What if..." Hongjoong hesitated for a moment before he continued. "What if I told you that I accept your apology? What if I told you I want to put the past behind us and move on?"</p><p>Seonghwa raised a brow slightly as he looked the smaller male in the eyes. "What do you mean? You mean just act like none of these things ever happened and just carry on? How are we supposed to do that?" </p><p>Hongjoong swallowed hard as he came closer to Seonghwa, making the black-haired male frown a bit. "You don't understand how lost and empty my world has been without you, Seonghwa. I don't care how angry or upset I am with you. I made a promise months ago that I would be at your side regardless of what you've done, and I want to keep fulfilling that promise."</p><p>Seonghwa looked down at his feet as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hongjoong, but I can't do it. As you said, our relationship is only on a business level, and it can never be anything more than that."</p><p>"Bullshit. I'm willing to move on and work past the differences we've had in the past. I KNOW that deep down you want the exact same, you're just afraid of hurting me or breaking me again." Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa's cheeks with both hands as he looked the black-haired male in the eyes. "Stop acting like I'm fragile. I think I've gone way past the point of fragility. You can't break something that's already been broken before.</p><p>"Hongjoong, I couldn't bring myself to-" Seonghwa's protest was suddenly cut off.</p><p>Hongjoong had leaned in without warning, interlocking his lips with the soft flesh of Seonghwa's lips. The same spark that both of them had felt during their first kiss ignited like a blue flame. Seonghwa missed that feeling so much and longed it for so long, he couldn't even bring himself to pull away.</p><p>Seonghwa wrapped his arms around Hongjoong's waist and pulled him even closer against his chest, deepening the kiss as it lingered for the longest time.</p><p>After a passionate moment, Hongjoong pulled his face away slightly. "I don't care how fucked up your world is. I can't see myself anywhere else right now, and I know you can't see a world without me in it. Please... We can move past it all, come out even stronger than before."</p><p>Seonghwa stared down at Hongjoong for the longest time as he contemplated the whole thing. He didn't want to drag Hongjoong back into his personal world, but at the same time, the kiss reminded him of how desperately he needed Hongjoong. He was basically nothing without him.</p><p>"Alright... Fine. We'll try to work past this..." Seonghwa said in a soft tone as he nodded his head. "Only if you promise that we'll never bring the past up again. If you won't, then I won't."</p><p>Hongjoong gave a gentle smile, nodding in response.</p><p>"Never again, Seonghwa... Never again."</p><p> </p><p>(A/N: hahahaaaa you thought I was going to leave them separated. of course not)</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The two had begun getting along way better than they had before after they decided to have a go at things again. Hongjoong was communicating with Seonghwa instead of holding everything to himself, and Seonghwa did everything he seemed was necessary to make up for the lost time and the things he'd done. Their relationship seemed to be going better this time around than it had in the beginning.</p><p>One morning, Hongjoong had woken up engulfed in the soft sheets of his bed, rubbing his face as he tried to wake himself up fully. The white-haired male sat up slowly, throwing his arms up to stretch and grunting softly as he did so.</p><p>The two weren't on close enough matters to be sleeping in the same bed, so of course, they slept in their own rooms for the time being.</p><p>Hongjoong crawled out of bed, catching a glance of himself in the large mirror that stood in place of a closet door. He looked like he had just wrestled with some kind of beast. His hair was sticking out in all kinds of directions, the large, white shirt he wore was hanging off his right shoulder, and one of the legs of his shorts was up way higher than the other.</p><p>The white-haired male immediately let out a laugh at the sight of his ratty reflection.</p><p>"Seonghwa would kill me if he ever saw me like this outside of my room..." Hongjoong made a remark to himself, shaking his head.</p><p>"Saw you like what?" A familiar voice said as Seonghwa suddenly walked into Hongjoong's room.</p><p>The black-haired male had already been dressed elegantly, as usual, and his hair was already groomed. Seonghwa immediately stopped in his tracks as he took a second to take in the appearance of the smaller male. He made a weird face as he tilted his head, biting his lip to refrain from saying anything.</p><p>"You like it?" Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa with a grin, clearly trying not to laugh.</p><p>"It's... What the hell happened?" Seonghwa couldn't help but laugh, bringing a hand to his mouth. </p><p>"Apparently I fought a bear in my sleep, you should see the other guy." Hongjoong made a joke as he erupted in laughter.</p><p>Seonghwa smiled widely when he heard Hongjoong's laugh, it was like music to his ears every time he heard it. He walked up to the smaller male, reaching up a hand and grabbing the back of his neck gently, then pulling Hongjoong in to give him a small kiss on the forehead.</p><p>"I would really like to see the other guy, but after we get down to business," Seonghwa said as he ruffled Hongjoong's hair. "Get dressed, groom yourself, and meet me in the parlor. I'm going to need you for a small business meeting I'm having with a client today."</p><p>Hongjoong nodded in understanding, smiling up at Seonghwa. "Alright. I'll be out in a minute then."</p><p>"Look nice for our guest..." Seonghwa then suddenly leaned in, his lips just barely grazing the smaller male's lips. "But most importantly... Look nice for me, yeah?"</p><p>Hongjoong could feel his cheeks virtually burst into flames as Seonghwa suddenly pulled away after.</p><p>"W-Why do you always-" Hongjoong started to say before Seonghwa walked out of the room. "Yah! Asshole!"</p><p>Hongjoong could hear the amused laughs from the taller male as he continued down the hallway. He let out an annoyed sigh, then turned to his closet, sliding open the door and grabbing a change of clothes. Hongjoong made his way into the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. He was quick to take a shower to make sure he was clean and fresh. When he got out, he split his long, white hair on the side of his head, combing it back in a loose, fluffy fashion with a bit of gel.</p><p>Hongjoong slipped on the clothes he picked out, and it was sure to be enough for Seonghwa's liking. He wore a white dress shirt with the first two buttons left undone, the bottom of the shirt tucked into a pair of tight, grey dress pants held up by a black belt. He had on a grey suit jacket to match the pants, the sleeves rolled up neatly just below the bend of his elbows. Hongjoong slipped on a pair of black, leather shoes, a silver watch, and a thin, silver chain around his neck.</p><p>Hongjoong glanced himself over in the mirror to make sure he looked good enough, then proceeded to exit the bathroom. He made his way out of his bedroom, and down the long hallway towards the parlor. When Hongjoong entered the room, Seonghwa was leaning against the bar as he sat on a stool, a drink in his hand as he went over the paperwork in front of him.</p><p>The white-haired male quietly crept up behind Seonghwa, snaking his arms around Seonghwa's waist, and attempting to rest his chin on his shoulder but he was too short.</p><p>"Is this nice enough for you?" Hongjoong said in a sweet voice, a smile on his face before he let go and took a step back.</p><p>Seonghwa set his drink down as he raised a brow slightly, then spun around in the stool to face Hongjoong. He didn't waste any time letting his eyes wander every inch of Hongjoong. The corners of his lips curled into a wide grin at the sight of the smaller male in front of him.</p><p>"I think you went a little overboard. Are you trying to distract me while I'm working?" Seonghwa teased, grabbing Hongjoong by the belt as he pulled him close.</p><p>"Maybe, maybe not. You'll just have to wait to find out that one." Hongjoong replied in a flirtatious manner, tilting his head.</p><p>"You know I hate it when you tease me like this," Seonghwa said as he leaned his head closer.</p><p>Seonghwa was just mere centimeters away from Hongjoong's face, about to kiss him, then heard a female clearing her throat. Seonghwa immediately stopped and pulled away, looking at the female that was now standing in the doorway of the parlor. Hongjoong immediately backed off as well, standing beside Seonghwa with his hands behind his back politely.</p><p>"Do you play with all of your pets, Seonghwa? You should learn to keep leashes on them instead of indulging them." The female made a remark, raising a brow.</p><p>"You're early, Nevaeh," Seonghwa said clearing his throat, seeming a bit displeased. "Our meeting was scheduled for two hours from now."</p><p>"Better early than unpunctual, those are your words," Nevaeh said with a smile as she began to approach.</p><p>Nevaeh was a shockingly beautiful woman, taller in stature, but most of that was aided by the red, six-inch heels beneath her feet. She had long, black hair that was elegantly tied back into a bun, bangs cascading to the right of her face. Her features were almost elven like she had stepped right out of a fairytale book. She wore a one-shouldered crimson-colored dress that hugged her perfectly snatched waist, black fishnets lining her legs and the red heels. She was embellished with different kinds of jewelry, probably wearing the cost of a single home in just diamonds alone.</p><p>Hongjoong couldn't help but feel intimidated by the female that was approaching. This was one of Seonghwa's clients that he's never met before, this was the first time he'd ever seen or heard of her. He kept his gaze down at his feet once she stopped in front of Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa couldn't help but glance the woman over with his eyes as she stood in front of him.</p><p>"You're dressed as if you're attending some lavish party. Surely not appropriate attire for a simple business meeting." Seonghwa said as he tilted his head.</p><p>"Our "simple" business meetings never end with clothing on anyways. Might as well look my best." Nevaeh said in a flirtatious tone as he took a seat in the stool next to him, crossing her legs.</p><p>Hongjoong clenched his jaw slightly at the woman's remark but made it look as if he wasn't bothered by it.</p><p>Seonghwa shook his head slightly, then turned to the paperwork that sat on the bar. "Can we just discuss the details of the agreement we have set in place?"</p><p>"Of course, but..." Nevaeh began before she paused, looking over at the white-haired male. "Get rid of the dog, first."</p><p>Seonghwa shot a glare at the woman beside him as a warning, who in return, gave him an innocent smile. Seonghwa let out a small sigh, then turned his head to Hongjoong.</p><p>"I know I asked you to help me with this, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave us while we discuss," Seonghwa said to Hongjoong, taking in a deep breath.</p><p>"But, Seonghwa-" Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa as he started, but he was immediately cut off. </p><p>"Don't... talk back to me, alright? Remember, know your place, especially when I'm trying to handle business matters." Seonghwa snapped slightly, squinting his eyes.</p><p>Hongjoong stared at the black-haired male for a while, then dropped his head looking at the ground. He did as Seonghwa told him to, exiting the parlor and closing the large, sliding door behind him. He shook his head and let out a bitter scoff.</p><p>How could he suddenly start treating me like this? Hongjoong thought to himself.</p><p>Hongjoong made his way to the living room and sat upon the white leather couch, he waiting for the two to finish their meeting.</p><p>As Hongjoong waited, he sat with his elbows resting on his knees, bouncing one knee as anxiety began to build in his chest. He knew Seonghwa would never do anything to go against him, but at the same time, Nevaeh was just as intoxicatingly charming as Seonghwa. If she wanted something, she could probably get it without even having to bat an eyelash, and it was clear that the two had a very lewd history together.</p><p>He couldn't help but imagine the things that could possibly be going on in the parlor, the two were alone in there after all. Who knows what they could've been doing? Hongjoong kept trying to think of ways that he could walk in there without getting his head bit off, he had to know what was going on before his anxiety ate at him.</p><p>Finally, the white-haired male stood up from the couch after what seemed like an hour of waiting. He made his way back to the parlor, stomping his feet slightly with each step that he took.</p><p>Hongjoong hesitated at the door for a moment, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his hands trembling subtly. He took in a deep breath, then grabbed the door handle, pulling on it as he slid the door open in an urgent manner.</p><p>What he saw in front of him made a hot, blue flame ignite in the pit of his stomach. Hongjoong almost began seeing red as he clenched his fists. </p><p>Seonghwa was standing with his back against the glass bar with Nevaeh standing in front of him. The woman had her lips smashed against Seonghwa's, her hands grabbing at his pants. When they heard the door slide open, Seonghwa ripped away from the kiss and pushed Nevaeh off of him, looking at Hongjoong with wide eyes.</p><p>"Joong... I promise you, this isn't what it looks like." Seonghwa shook his head frantically as he tried to explain.</p><p>"Trust me, I can see very clearly what's going on here." Hongjoong let out a bitter laugh, nodding his head. "Don't let me stop you. Please, go back to what you were doing." Hongjoong spat, then walked away without saying anything more.</p><p>"Joong! Wait, please!" Seonghwa called out, but Hongjoong wasn't waiting for anything.</p><p>Seonghwa turned his attention to the woman in front of him, a dangerous look flooding his eyes as he stared the smirking woman down. He gritted his teeth as he came at her, grabbing her harshly by the face as she yelped</p><p>"You can consider whatever agreement we had, terminated. If I ever hear you name or see your godforsaken face again..." Seonghwa growled, barely clinging to his composure. "I swear I'll make sure you never see the light of day again. That's not even a threat, that's a wholehearted promise."</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly pushed the woman back, standing over her with a menacing demeanor. Nevaeh had opened her mouth to say something, but Seonghwa already began walking away.</p><p>"Get that nasty thing out of my sight before I do something irrational!" Seonghwa barked at his men. "Make sure she goes out with at least a few marks as a warning!"</p><p>Seonghwa went to go find Hongjoong, leaving his men to get rid of Nevaeh from the property. The black-haired male immediately made his way to Hongjoong's room, trying to open the door but the door was locked.</p><p>"Joong! Open the door, we need to talk about what you just saw!" Seonghwa said as he kept jiggling the door handle. "Joong!"</p><p>"I don't want to talk about it! I know what I saw!" Hongjoong could be heard shouting from inside the room. "Fuck off, Seonghwa!"</p><p>"Joong, god damn it, let me in!" Seonghwa yelled as he pounded a fist on the door. "If I have to tell you again, I WILL break down this door, and then we'll REALLY have problems!"</p><p>Seonghwa was still fuming over the encounter he just found himself caught in.</p><p>"YES, SEONGHWA! JUST KEEP GETTING DEFENSIVE AND ANGRY BECAUSE IT TOTALLY HELPS YOU LOOK MORE INNOCENT!" Hongjoong shouted with anger now in his voice as well.</p><p>Seonghwa gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as he clenched his fists. He tried to regain his composure as much as he could, Hongjoong wasn't going to speak to him until he calmed down. After taking a moment to calm down, Seonghwa sighed out softly, then pressed his forehead and his hands against the door.</p><p>"Joong... Please... Let me in. I'm sorry, okay?" Seonghwa tried to sound reasonable. "Please let me explain myself..."</p><p>Seonghwa didn't hear a reply from Hongjoong, instead, he just heard soft sobs coming from inside the room. He could feel his chest tighten from the sounds.</p><p>"Joong... Let me in, damn it... Please, just let me in." Seonghwa pleaded in a soft tone. "Please..."</p><p>After waiting another moment, Seonghwa could hear the sound of the lock click, and he took a small step back. Hongjoong slowly opened the door, his eyes were bloodshot and puffy from all the crying he'd done. Seonghwa frowned as he tried to reach out for the smaller male, but Hongjoong smacked his hands away.</p><p>"Don't touch me, Seonghwa. I swear to god, don't you fucking touch me." Hongjoong said bitterly through his tears. "I was so stupid to think that you gave a shit about me. You've lied to me once again, and I look like an idiot for choosing to believe you."</p><p>Seonghwa swallowed hard, shaking his head. "Joong... I promise, what you saw wasn't what it seemed like."</p><p>"Oh, bullshit! You were kissing that woman and she tried to take your pants off, Seonghwa! That's pretty self-explanatory to me!" Hongjoong protested, shaking his head. "Stop feeding me lies!"</p><p>"I'm not feeding you lies! God damn it, Joong, just listen to me!" Seonghwa ran his hands through his hair frustratedly. "She kissed me! I had been denying her the whole time, and when you came in, she threw herself on me before I could even stop her!"</p><p>"And you really expect me to believe that? The most wealthy, handsome fucking man in the city could have ANYONE he wanted. Why should I believe that you would stay faithful to me? That she threw herself on you?" Hongjoong hiccupped slightly as he sobbed. "All I ever want is your undivided affection, yet I always end up looking like an idiot because you'll never change!"</p><p>"Joong, how many times have I told you I love you? Think of all the things that I've done for you! If I wasn't faithful to you, why would I CONSTANTLY put my life on the line to keep you safe! If I didn't care about you, I sure as hell wouldn't be standing here trying to reason with you!" Seonghwa protested, reaching out for Hongjoong again.</p><p>This time, instead of smacking his hands away, Hongjoong smacked Seonghwa across the face pretty hard. Seonghwa's head flew to the side as he stumbled back a step.</p><p>"I said don't FUCKING touch me, Seonghwa..." Hongjoong growled slightly, then went to shut the door.</p><p>Seonghwa immediately shoved the door back open before Hongjoong could even shut the door all the way.</p><p>"What the hell-" Hongjoong was cut off as Seonghwa suddenly had him pinned against the wall.</p><p>"Will you stop being so GOD DAMN stubborn for one minute in your life? I fucking love you, Joong! I wouldn't ruin everything that we have just for some woman I once had a ONE TIME fling with months ago!" Seonghwa exclaimed with a frown on his face. "Do you hear me? I FUCKING LOVE YOU. If I didn't, I wouldn't be fighting this hard for you."</p><p>Hongjoong stared up at Seonghwa with a frown, a few tears still trailing down his face. "Then why did you kiss her?"</p><p>"I DIDN'T. For the last time, she threw herself on me no matter how many times I desperately told her to back off. PLEASE believe me, Joong... I'll do anything you want me to, just please believe me." Seonghwa sounded a bit desperate, grabbing Hongjoong by his cheeks as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Please... You know I love you so much. You're my whole world, please believe me."</p><p>Seonghwa himself started to sound like he was choking up as he pleaded for forgiveness from the smaller male. He had a look in his eyes that Hongjoong could see, he could see that Seonghwa was being truthful with him.</p><p>"So you didn't make any advances on her? None at all?" Hongjoong questioned as his sobs lessened.</p><p>"God, no... I wouldn't ever make advances on someone else when I have you at my side. I wouldn't throw away my whole world for something like that. I wouldn't dream of it, Joong..." Seonghwa reassured as he pressed his forehead against Hongjoong's. "Please forgive me."</p><p>Hongjoong hesitated for a moment, then sighed out as he gripped Seonghwa's shirt. "Fine... I believe you. But I swear to god, Seonghwa, if I catch something like that again... I am going to seriously lose my shit with you."</p><p>"And I'll gladly let it happen. But I can assure you that it won't happen again, because from now on, you're never leaving the room during my business matters, no matter if the client requests, especially with shady characters such as Nevaeh. I'm so sorry, my little one. I'm so, so sorry." Seonghwa said shaking his head slightly. "I never wanted to hurt your feelings, I'm sorry you had to see that."</p><p>Hongjoong shook his head, looking to the floor. "Don't apologize. I should be used to these kinds of things by now."</p><p>"Stop, don't say things like that." Seonghwa frowned, making Hongjoong look back up at him. "I hate seeing you hurt. I hate seeing the man I love feeling this way."</p><p>Hongjoong stared at Seonghwa for the longest time just staying silent. Seonghwa then suddenly brought the smaller male's face close as he planted a deep, loving his upon his lips. The black-haired male kept kissing his lover with all of the passion he could muster as if he were trying to make Hongjoong forget.</p><p>When Seonghwa broke the kiss to pull away, Hongjoong seemed to follow after him a bit as if wanting more. Seonghwa gave a gentle smile, stroking Hongjoong's cheeks with his thumbs.</p><p>"Do you forgive me? Can we please just forget this happened? I don't want to lose my sweet, incredibly handsome lover." Seonghwa said sweetly, kissing his lover's ass as much as he could to make him feel better. "So pretty, so soft..."</p><p>Hongjoong gave a slight smile, sighing out softly as he shook his head. "You can stop kissing my ass... I forgive you, alright? I forgive you..."</p><p>Seonghwa smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around the smaller male, holding him securely and burying his face in Hongjoong's soft hair.</p><p>"I love you, Joong.... That will never change as long as my heart still beats."</p><p>"I love you too, Seonghwa..."</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p><p>(A/N: get ready for a real shocker in the next chapter ;) ciaooo)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the next few days, Seonghwa seemed more busy than usual, he wasn't around a whole lot like he had been. Hongjoong knew he was hiding something from him because each time he tried to talk to him or hand around him while he was working, Seonghwa would dismiss him or avoid him altogether. Seonghwa only requested his presence when he was working on something.</p><p>Hongjoong didn't think of it much at first, but with Seonghwa becoming so closed off, he was becoming more and more suspicious of what he was up to.</p><p>One afternoon, Seonghwa sat at his desk with an elbow resting against the dark oak, a glass of whiskey in his hand as he went through files on his computer. He heard stomping footsteps come in the room, looking up from his screen and catching Hongjoong storming towards him. Seonghwa frowned slightly, sitting back in his chair as he cocked his head slightly.</p><p>"Oh no. What have I done to aggravate you now?" Seonghwa asked before he took a sip from his glass.</p><p>Hongjoong stood in front of the desk, huffing out and crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p>"What's been up with you the past few days, Seonghwa? You've been totally avoiding me like the plague." Hongjoong demanded, reaching out and grabbing the glass of whiskey from Seonghwa's hand.</p><p>"Yah! I was drinking that!" Seonghwa scoffed with a slight smile. "I've been busy, Joong, you know this. I've been caught up in so much work lately."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, so you've told me countless times before." Hongjoong sat the glass on the edge of the desk. "Tell me what's really going on. You've refused my advances, you tell me to leave you alone throughout the day unless you intel from me, and you hardly come around me anymore. What happened to communicating?"</p><p>Seonghwa sighed out, standing up from his chair. He walked up to Hongjoong as he shook his head. The taller male grabbed ahold of Hongjoong's hips, pulling him in close.</p><p>"You are so cute when you're suspicious and fuming." Seonghwa leaned in to give him a kiss, but Hongjoong turned his head away. "You're really going to be like that? You know I don't take no for an answer."</p><p>"You're not getting anything from me until you explain why you've been so absent lately," Hongjoong said as he glanced at Seonghwa with a brow raised.</p><p>Seonghwa took in a big breath before he sighed out. "God, you always have to ruin everything by sticking your nose in places. If you really must know, I was planning a surprise night out with you. I couldn't plan everything with you at my side every second of every day."</p><p>Hongjoong turned his head as he looked at Seonghwa with doughy eyes. "You were what? A surprise?" Hongjoong then puffed out his lips in a pout. "I ruined it."</p><p>Seonghwa grinned as he let out a soft chuckle. "That's why you need to trust me, you little baby. If you would've just waited until tonight, you wouldn't have ruined the surprise."</p><p>Seonghwa moved his hands up to Hongjoong's cheeks, leaning his face down as he planted a sweet kiss upon his pouting lips. Hongjoong smiled a bit into the kiss, reaching out to grab Seonghwa's shirt.</p><p>Hongjoong then pulled away slightly, his lips still grazing Seonghwa's. "Well, since I already ruined the surprise, will you at least tell me the plan for tonight?" Hongjoong flashed a cocky grin.</p><p>"Of course..." Seonghwa began, then let out another scoff, pulling his face away. "Not. You may have ruined the surprise aspect, but I'm still keeping the details of tonight a secret."</p><p>"Seonghwaaa... Pleeeeease." Hongjoong pleaded as he tugged on Seonghwa's shirt. "You know you wanna tell meeee."</p><p>Seonghwa laughed as he messed up Hongjoong's hair, growling in a playful manner. "No. I'm not telling you no matter how cute you act. You'll just have to wait until this evening, alright? I promise that you'll love it."</p><p>Hongjoong rolled his eyes, huffing out slightly as he looked away. "You know you're absolutely no fun, right?"</p><p>"Says the one who can't help moan my name when I'm supposedly being "absolutely no fun." Try again." Seonghwa fired back with a smirk, returning back to his chair.</p><p>Hongjoong's eyes widened and his cheeks lit on fire as his eyes followed Seonghwa. "Yah! How dare you use that against me?"</p><p>"Your attitude is insatiable, I have to drench your fire somehow." Seonghwa gave an innocent shrug, grabbing his glass of whiskey and taking a sip. "Now, I really must finish what I'm doing before tonight, alright? Be ready by 7 o'clock, yeah?"</p><p>Hongjoong opened his mouth to protest, then just gave a warm smile as he nodded. "Alright. I'll leave you be then. Don't work too hard, I want plenty of you leftover for tonight."</p><p>"Oh trust me, you'll be getting every bit of me." Seonghwa licked his top lip seductively as he smirked as Hongjoong. </p><p>"That better be a promise." Hongjoong pointed a finger at Seonghwa, then turned on his heels before he walked out of the room.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head as he returned back to his computer so he could finish his work.</p><p>______________________</p><p>Later that evening...</p><p>______________________</p><p> </p><p>It was nearing the last couple of minutes before 6 o'clock and Hongjoong hadn't come out of his room yet, Seonghwa was starting to feel a little impatient.</p><p>Standing up from the edge of his bed, Seonghwa began walking out of his room as he adjusted the watch on his wrist. He made his way down the hall, stopping in front of Hongjoong's bedroom door.</p><p>"Yah... Joong? Are you ready?" Seonghwa called through the door, knocking softly.</p><p>Seonghwa could hear something rustling around in the room, then a thud followed by a small grunt. The black-haired male frowned, reaching for the door handle and twisting it so he could open the door. Once he stepped inside the room, Seonghwa saw Hongjoong on his back, only half-dressed on the floor, the smaller male huffing out.</p><p>"I... Do I even wanna know what just happened?" Seonghwa said as he tried not to laugh.</p><p>Seonghwa approached the smaller male, leaning down and grabbing ahold of Hongjoong as he lifted him back to his feet.</p><p>"I was trying to put on my pants, then I lost my balance and fell," Hongjoong grumbled as he finished pulling up his pants. "I would be ready already, but I couldn't figure out what to wear."</p><p>Seonghwa couldn't hold back his laughter anymore as he clasped a hand over his mouth. </p><p>"Yeah, yeah. Just laugh at me, makes me feel so much better, Seonghwa." Hongjoong rolled his eyes playfully, his voice riddled with embarrassment.</p><p>"Oh relax... Let me help you finish getting ready, wouldn't want you getting hurt." Seonghwa walked up to Hongjoong, beginning to tuck the dress shirt he had on into the waistband of his pants.</p><p>"Oh, this is a first. You're putting clothes ON me? You usually take them off." Hongjoong decided to shoot a remark at Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa raised a brow as he shot a look down at the smaller male, a smirk growing on his face. "I can change that if you want me to." Seonghwa cooed as he started to unbutton the first couple buttons of Hongjoong's shirt.</p><p>Hongjoong's cheeks immediately flushed as he grabbed Seonghwa's hands, stopping him before he could unbutton more. "Nope. We have a date, stop right there."</p><p>"Then don't act so big with me. You're the one who submits to me every time." Seonghwa said while shaking his head.</p><p>Seonghwa then grabbed a suit jacket that matched the rest of Hongjoong's outfit, standing behind him and helped Hongjoong slip it on. The taller male got closer to Hongjoong from behind, leaning his face into his neck and placing gentle kisses on the soft skin. Seonghwa pressed his pelvis into Hongjoong's rear, reaching a hand around and rubbing a hand over the smaller male's member. This triggered a surprised moan from Hongjoong as he bit on his bottom lip.</p><p>"Don't you ever get smart with me... You have no idea what I'll do to that pretty mouth of yours." Seonghwa growled teasingly in Hongjoong's ear.</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly pulled away from Hongjoong, walking around him as he made his way towards the door. </p><p>"Y-Yah! What was that for?" Hongjoong whined out, his cheeks burning from becoming so flustered.</p><p>"Finish getting ready, we're already late." Seonghwa raised a brow and glanced at Hongjoong over his shoulder, then disappeared down the hallway.</p><p>Hongjoong swallowed dryly, standing there in slight shock. The member in his pants had stiffened slightly from the arousal, and it only made Hongjoong even more flustered that he was teased like that. He composed himself quickly, slipping on his shoes and a couple of accessories to top off his outfit for the night.</p><p>Once he was finished getting dressed, he made his way down the hallway to meet with Seonghwa by the front door. When Seonghwa heard him coming, he looked in his direction with a cocky smile.</p><p>"Glad to see you finally decided to come out. Did you have to fix your situation before you came out?" Seonghwa teased, glancing his lover over.</p><p>"Shut up." Hongjoong huffed out while he stopped in front of Seonghwa. "That was an unfair game you just played."</p><p>"And you should know better to say things to me like that and not follow through with what you're saying." Seonghwa was quick to reply. "Are you ready now?"</p><p>Hongjoong squinted slightly at the taller male but decided to say nothing. Instead, he just nodded his head in compliance. Seonghwa then reached his hand out, grabbing Hongjoong's hand before they walked out of the front door together. They walked down the large concrete walkway that led out to the circle drive in front of the estate, where one of Seonghwa's many cars sat waiting.</p><p>For once, Seonghwa was going to drive them, and this was a rarity because Seonghwa never drove himself places. The black, topless Porsche 718 was the one car that Seonghwa only used for special occasions, it was his prized car, so it rarely came out of the garage.</p><p>Hongjoong became a little skeptical at this point as they approached the car. He began to wonder what Seonghwa had planned that he had to pull his favorite car out. </p><p>Seonghwa opened the passenger side door, stepping aside to let Hongjoong into the car. The black-haired male had a wide grin on his face. Hongjoong squinted his eyes slightly, but stepped into the passenger seat, sitting down as Seonghwa shut the door behind him.</p><p>Seonghwa then jogged around to the driver's side door, opening it and getting into the car. He turned on the car, strapping the seat belt over his chest, then putting the car in gear before pulling off.</p><p>"So where are you going anyways? And you're driving? Since when does Seonghwa Park drive himself ANYWHERE?" Hongjoong questioned, looking over at Seonghwa in the driver's seat.</p><p>"Just wait... You'll see. You'll love it, I know you will." Seonghwa said with a smile, keeping his eyes on the road. "Just relax."</p><p>Hongjoong stared at his lover for a moment, then turned his head to look back the road. Hongjoong loved the scenery up in the mountains, the way the large rock formations defied gravity. You could see the whole city of June from below as you came off of the mountain, and at night, it looked like stars lighting up the ground beneath it. That was one of the many things that he loved about June. It was such a vast city with endless possibilities.</p><p>After about an hour of driving, Seonghwa pulled off on the side of the street, putting the car into park in front of one of his many nightclubs. It was a large 20 story building with a pool that hung out over the side on the top floor. Seonghwa owned the whole thing, the nightclub was on the top floor while the rest of the building literally served no other purpose. </p><p>Hongjoong looked up at the large building, frowning his brows slightly.</p><p>"Seonghwa... I'm really not feeling a large lavish party with random strangers that I've never met before." Hongjoong said softly as he looked over at Seonghwa.</p><p>"We're not. It's just going to be you and I, the whole place to ourselves. I wouldn't spend days planning a date and not have it just be us two." Seonghwa said as he shut off the car, then got out.</p><p>Seonghwa rounded the car to the other side, opening the passenger door for Hongjoong, an excited smile upon his face. Hongjoong couldn't help but give a small smile, then stepped out of the car.</p><p>The black-haired male wrapped an arm around Hongjoong's shoulders, walking into the lobby of the building. Two security detail were standing on each side of the elevator that led up to the nightclub, they were obviously expecting the couple, one of them pressing the button to open the elevator for them.</p><p>"Thank you, gentlemen. Please make sure we are uninterrupted for the whole night, yeah?" Seonghwa said to them as he stepped onto the elevator with Hongjoong.</p><p>"Of course, sir. Enjoy your night."</p><p>Seonghwa pressed the button on the elevator, the doors soon closing before it began to raise floor by floor.</p><p>"So you took business away from one of the biggest nightclubs in town just to have a night out with me? Seriously, what is up your sleeve, Seonghwa." Hongjoong said with a grin, looking up at his lover.</p><p>"You'll just have to wait and see." Seonghwa looked down at Hongjoong, kissing his lips lovingly. </p><p>When the elevator doors opened, Seonghwa stepped out of the elevator with the smaller male. Hongjoong felt his heart flip in his chest as he noticed the decor set in place. The lights were off in the club, but there were hundreds of candles that lined every surface, black rose petals blanketing the floor beneath them. There was a single booth out of all of them that was covered with a white table cloth, a single lit candle serving as the centerpiece, a bottle of wine in a metal bucket filled with ice, and two plates that were already filled with food, just waiting for them.</p><p>The sight took Hongjoong's breath away, he was rendered completely speechless. He had no idea Seonghwa was even capable of pulling such great, romantic stunts like this. Hongjoong knew everything about his lover, but not once had he ever expressed a romantic side.</p><p>"So...?" Seonghwa grinned as he looked around the room. "What do you think?"</p><p>"I..." Hongjoong struggled to find the words amidst the shock he was feeling. "This is... This is incredible. I-I don't even know what to say..."</p><p>"Well then don't, just save your words for later. Let's enjoy our night together." Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong's hand, leading him across the room of the club to the booth.</p><p>Both Seonghwa and Hongjoong sat at the table, sitting on opposite sides so they could face each other. Seonghwa proceeded to pour both of them a glass of wine before they began digging into their meal. They spent hours after they'd finished eating, just talking about anything and everything. They talked about past experiences and memories, things they'd want to do in the future, just enjoying each other's company to the fullest.</p><p>Seonghwa finished his fifth glass of wine, setting the glass on the table gently as he suddenly shot a grin at his lover.</p><p>"Let's go skinny dipping in the pool," Seonghwa suggested, standing up from the table.</p><p>"Skinny dipping? I've never swum naked in a pool before." Hongjoon shook his head as he let out a laugh. "I don't know, I think I'm good."</p><p>"Oh come on. We're going skinny dipping whether you like it or not." Seonghwa said while reaching for Hongjoong's hand.</p><p>Seonghwa dragged Hongjoong out of his seat, leading him out to the large pool area outside of the club.</p><p>"Seonghwa, I don't want to-" Hongjoong was cut off when Seonghwa suddenly kissed him deeply.</p><p>Seonghwa began stripping off each layer of Hongjoong's clothing, the smaller male completely submitting to his power without any hesitation. Once Hongjoong was completely bare, Seonghwa stripped off his own clothing as well.</p><p>Seonghwa broke the heated kiss suddenly, an evil grin forming on his face. "Hold your breath."</p><p>Hongjoong looked confused, but before he could say anything, Seonghwa pushed him back into the cold water of the pool. The black-haired male let out a loud laugh as he watched Hongjoong fall into the water. After grabbing something out of the pocket of his suit jacket, Seonghwa slipped into the water immediately after.</p><p>Hongjoong shot back up to the surface, gasping from the sudden shock of the cold water. "Seonghwa! You asshole!" He exclaimed before splashing some water towards the taller male.</p><p>Seonghwa put a hand up to block the water while keeping his other hand hidden in the water as he tried to conceal something. Seonghwa let out a laugh, then reached out his free hand, pulling the smaller male against him.</p><p>"I may be an asshole, but I'm your asshole," Seonghwa said before planting another kiss on the smaller male's lips.</p><p>"Yeah, that could change at any time." Hongjoong teased when he pulled away from the kiss.</p><p>Hongjoong was quick to notice that Seonghwa had his arm placed behind his back, immediately squinting his eyes with suspicion.</p><p>"What are you hiding from me? You're not gonna randomly slit my throat or something, right?" Hongjoong said with a laugh.</p><p>Seonghwa rolled his eyes at this remark. "Now that you mention it, I just might, but no. In fact it's the big surprise of the night."</p><p>"Oh?" Hongjoong sounded confused, tilting his head with curiosity.</p><p>"Joong... I've been thinking about this for a while, deciding if it was the right thing to do after all the things we've been through. I realized I wouldn't want to go through those things with anyone else. I want you at my side through thick and thin no matter what. I want to be able to hold you until our skin loses elasticity, until our hair turns silver, until we draw out last breaths." Seonghwa said in a soft tone, now bringing his arm around and lifting a small, black box from the water.</p><p>Hongjoong immediately froze with shock, looking from Seonghwa to the small box he held in his hand. "Seonghwa..."</p><p>"I want you to be mine forever, Joong..." Seonghwa let go of the smaller male so he could open the box, revealing a golden band wedged in between a bed of velvet. "Will you marry me?"</p><p>Hongjoong's bottom lip began to quiver as intense emotions waved over him. Tears began to spill from his eyes, looking at Seonghwa in the eyes. Without saying a word, he nodded his head as he began to sob happily.</p><p>Seonghwa could feel a great weight lift from his chest from Hongjoong's acceptance of his proposal, smiling sweetly. He then took the ring out of the box, setting the box on the edge of the pool. Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong's left hand from the wall, tenderly slipping the ring onto his finger.</p><p>Hongjoong suddenly threw his arms around Seonghwa's neck, connecting his lips to his with utter passion behind it. Seonghwa wrapped his arms around the smaller male's waist, holding him close against his chest as he deepened the kiss.</p><p>The more heated the moment got, the more they began to crave one another. </p><p>Hongjoong jumped up and wrapped his legs around Seonghwa's waist, not breaking the kiss for a single moment. The smaller male reached down, grabbing Seonghwa's already semi-stiff member in his hand, and pumping him eagerly. Seonghwa sighed out with pleasure into the kiss, his hands falling down to Hongjoong's ass and grabbing two handfuls roughly.</p><p>Hongjoong pulled away from the kiss, stopping what he was doing for a minute. "Please... Just this once, be gentle with me, Seonghwa... I want to go slow and enjoy this..."</p><p>Seonghwa stared back into his lover's eyes, being gentle wasn't one of his personality traits, but he still nodded in compliance. If Hongjoong wanted to go slow, he was going to do anything to please him. Seonghwa connected his lips to Hongjoong's again, this time with more passion than before.</p><p>Once Seonghwa was hard enough, Hongjoong positioned his member at his entrance, not even bothering to prep himself beforehand. He desperately wanted Seonghwa, so he didn't want to take the time to prep, and the water of the pool would provide enough lubrication. Hongjoong aided the tip in, and Seonghwa did the rest by pressing into him slowly. Hongjoong let out a moan of pain and pleasure into the kiss, tightening his arms around Seonghwa's neck.</p><p>Seonghwa shuddered slightly at the tightness closing around his member, a soft groan escaping from his throat. He broke away from the kiss, starting to leave small little love bites down Hongjoong's neck. Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong by his hips, moving the smaller male's hips slowly to make him grind up and down.</p><p>Hongjoong grabbed a handful of Seonghwa's hair, his head falling back as sweet moans began coming from his mouth.</p><p>For the first time, the two weren't just having sex, they were making passionate, intimate love together. The feeling of their bare bodies together was more exhilarating than any other experience they shared together. All of the emotions they had for one another being expressed through gentle touches and sweet moans. It was a perfect way to top off the night.</p><p>This was the first night they were going to be taking things to the next level. This relationship was no longer business-related, they were in this together for the rest of their lives.</p><p> </p><p>(A/N: sorry I cut the smut short, it was getting really long and I wanted to end on a sweet note. I hope you enjoyed &lt;3)</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Seonghwa popped the big question to Hongjoong, the two wasted no time in planning everything for the day that they would officially become married. Of course, within less than a week, the media exploded at the sudden, shocking news.</p><p>To Hongjoong, it all seemed so surreal, he would be marrying the most wealthy man in June, as well as the most dangerous. No one else ever saw the side of Seonghwa that he did. While he was dealing with business matters and getting things done, he was the same untouchable, ruthless man that everyone else knew. But when Seonghwa was with Hongjoong, he was a totally different person. He was kinder in nature, caring, and held Hongjoong high out of reach from harm as much as possible. There wasn't anything in the world that would be of more importance than his lover.</p><p>About a month later, the day that the two would finally elope had arrived. Hongjoong didn't want anything lavish, but of course, Seonghwa wasn't just going to plan something small. He'd eventually convinced Hongjoong to agree to a big event. Everyone and anyone with a big name were going to be there, and it was honestly shocking at how many people Seonghwa actually knew. But of course, most of the attendees were fellow clients or people he'd worked with before.</p><p>That morning, just before the sun broke over the horizon, Seonghwa had woken up from the irritant beeping of the alarm clock beside his bed on the nightstand.</p><p>Seonghwa groaned softly, throwing a hand out as he slapped his hand onto the button, turning the alarm off. He let out a tired sigh, rolling over in bed where he laid eyes on a still sleeping Hongjoong next to him. Hongjoong always slept through the alarm no matter how loud or how long it would go off, just sound asleep like a baby. Seonghwa was always so envious of how flawless the smaller male looked even when he was asleep, messy hair cascading in his face, his mouth slightly gaped open as gentle snores came from his mouth.</p><p>The black-haired male smiled softly, sitting up a bit as he began placing gentle kisses along Hongjoong's jawline softly.</p><p>"Wake up, Joong... Come back from dreamland, we have a big day." Seonghwa cooed sweetly, trying to wake Hongjoong up in a gentle manner.</p><p>Hongjoong frowned slightly in his sleep, letting out a small whine before he turned over onto his other side, facing away from Seonghwa. Seonghwa let out a small chuckle, scooting up close behind the smaller male. He pulled the blankets off of Hongjoong who was completely bare underneath. The two had a long, intimate night together, so both of them were still lacking articles of clothing. Seonghwa now took his fingertips and dragged them gently along the soft skin of Hongjoong's thigh.</p><p>"Wake uuuup..." Seonghwa said once more in a sing-songy tone.</p><p>As Hongjoong began to wake up, he let out a tired sigh, his eyes fluttering open slowly. Seonghwa started placing sweet kisses on Hongjoong's shoulder, trailing them down into his neck and up to his earlobe, then nibbling softly on the tip of his earlobe.</p><p>Hongjoong smiled a bit, being tickled by the sensation, and he stirred to pull away from Seonghwa.</p><p>"Leave me alone, Seonghwa... I'm tired. Just five more minutes, and I'll get up, I promise." Hongjoong said with a tired tone, his eyes closing once again.</p><p>"We have so many things to do today before our guests arrive, we need to get up," Seonghwa whispered into the smaller male's ear. "Get up, Joong..."</p><p>Hongjoong groaned as he suddenly rolled back over, his eyes wide open looking at Seonghwa.</p><p>"Has anyone ever told you that you're the most annoying person in the morning?" Hongjoong said with a yawn, then rolled his eyes slightly.</p><p>"Well if someone hadn't wanted to go more than one round last night, you wouldn't be tired like this, would you?" Seonghwa teased before giving his lover a sweet kiss on the lips.</p><p>Hongjoong bit down on Seonghwa's lip playfully when he kissed him, triggering a soft growl from Seonghwa. Seonghwa reached out his hands to grab the smaller male by the hips, but Hongjoong suddenly pulled away, now starting to get out of bed.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a cheeky laugh, shaking his head as he sat up. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, otherwise I'd have you pay for that cocky stunt you just pulled"</p><p>"You said we have stuff to do and look who's still in bed?" Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa over his shoulder as he was putting some clothes on</p><p>Seonghwa grinned as he licked his bottom lip, then stood up out of bed. He enjoyed it when Hongjoong got lippy with him, the spit-fire attitude of his lover drove him crazier than he already was.</p><p>The two proceeded to get ready for the day, there were so many things that needed to be done before the celebration later in the night. They had to make sure that not a single thing was out of order so their day would be perfect, and it would kick off a long life together.</p><p>_________________</p><p>Later in the day...</p><p>_________________</p><p> </p><p>The big ceremony for the wedding was the grandest part of the whole night. Hundreds of people piled into a large church downtown, including the press from every news article in town. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Hongjoong that cried at the altar, it was actually Seonghwa. When he saw how elegantly his lover was dressed, he couldn't control the emotions that flooded through him. For someone that was seen as a cold-hearted, closed off kind of man, the display of emotion had truly shocked everyone that witnessed the whole thing.</p><p>The two exchanged heartfelt vows to one another, and before the ceremony was over, a pair of golden matching bands were placed on each other's fingers, and it was all officially sealed with a passionate kiss in front of everyone. Once the ceremony was over, everyone had headed back to Seonghwa's estate for a big celebration with the finest liquor, cocktail foods catered from various restaurants, and a well-known DJ that usually played for one of Seonghwa's nightclubs.</p><p>When the celebration commenced, Seonghwa had convinced Hongjoong to introduce himself to some people there, come out of his shell and start embracing the life he would be living with for the rest of his life.</p><p>Seonghwa stood by himself at a tall round table outside, observing the large crowd of people that gathered in his backyard, enjoying all the festivities taking place. He leaned against the table with a glass of rum in his hand, watching Hongjoong move about and interact with various people. He enjoyed watching his lover mingle with the guests, sparking conversation and laughing. Hongjoong really seemed to be enjoying himself, and it brought Seonghwa even more joy.</p><p>Just then, a man of similar stature to Seonghwa came and stood on the other side of the table, dressed in a sleek, grey suit.</p><p>"I knew you were interested and open to so many things, my son. Yet, I had no idea that you would one day marry another man." A familiar voice spoke. "My pride is damaged learning that you didn't invite your own father to your wedding."</p><p>Seonghwa froze in place, the glass of rum still pressed against his lip. He suddenly clenched his jaw, slamming the glass down on the table. Seonghwa turned to look over at the man beside him, the man that was, in fact, his father. His father was a rather attractive man himself, it was clear where Seonghwa got his charming looks from. His father was a well-known entrepreneur throughout the nation, everyone knew the name, Hyejun Park.</p><p>"You weren't invited for a good reason. So my question is, what the hell are you doing here?" Seonghwa said through gritted teeth. "How did you even get past security?"</p><p>"Seonghwa, is that any way to treat your father? Didn't I teach you to respect your elders." Hyejun flashed a charming smile, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. "Your security isn't very tight, Seonghwa, I was able to slip past your watchdogs. Besides, you can't neglect a father's right to attend their child's wedding."</p><p>Seonghwa turned to face him, a dark look in his eyes. "For a man that hasn't been present for most of my life, this is awful rich to me. You abandoned me when I needed you the most. When I was out on the streets of June, barely managing to survive, you cut all ties with me. Everything I have ever done, everything I have ever built had been because of ME, NOT you, ME." Seonghwa snapped, placing his hands on the edge of the table. "You are NOT welcome here."</p><p>"Now, now... I'm not here to start any conflict with you." Hyejun frowned softly and tilted his head. "I wanted to experience this day as you are my only child, this is a once in a lifetime kind of thing. You're a smarter, classier man than this. It's your wedding day, can't we just get along for one day?"</p><p>Seonghwa stared at his father with an intense look for a long time before he let out a soft sigh. No matter how much resentment he had towards his father, the things he said made complete sense. Today was a day for him to be happy, not violent and hostile. Seonghwa regained his composure, grabbing his glass again and took a sip from it.</p><p>"Once the celebration is over, I want you gone. I don't want you near me or my husband EVER again, understand me?" Seonghwa said with a raised brow.</p><p>Hyejun let out a soft sigh, then nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, I understand, son. You have my word." The older man looked out into the crowd. "Tell me about the lucky man that married my son. I don't have to formally meet him if you don't wish, but just give a father a good conscience that his son married the right person."</p><p>Seonghwa tossed back the rest of his drink, then set the glass back on the table again. "Well... He's only a few months younger than I am. His attitude is... absolutely insatiable and persistent." Seonghwa said with a slight laugh. "He was actually investigating me when he first met. Our paths crossed completely on accident."</p><p>"Investigating you? You mean to say you fell in love with some detective?" Hyejun raised a brow, letting out a slight scoff. "A man of your reputation risked everything doing that."</p><p>"He's not a detective, dad. He was just one of those investigative reporters. He's REALLY good at what he does, I mean he makes the best of the best look like rookies. He's... He's truly amazing, dad. He's so full of life, so hard-working, and absolutely loyal to his beliefs and interests." Seonghwa nodded, giving a slight smile. "We've already been through hell and back, and I'd do it all over again for him."</p><p>Hyejun smiled at Seonghwa as he heard the love in his voice. "You sound just like me when I met your mother. She was the light at the end of the tunnel."</p><p>Seonghwa swallowed dryly at the mention of his mother. "Um... How is mom by the way? Have you spoken to her?"</p><p>"Nope... The last I heard from her was when she was on her way to Tahiti on some retreat. Other than that, no contact." Hyejun said with a sigh, but immediately put on a smile. "Forget all of that, this isn't the time for it. I'd really like to meet this man you speak so highly of, but that's only if you see it appropriate."</p><p>Seonghwa stared at his father for a moment then gave a subtle nod. "I suppose it's only fair for you to meet him. He should be-" Seonghwa trailed off as he scanned the crowd where he last saw Hongjoong but didn't see any sight of him.</p><p>"Hm... Give me a moment, he may be inside. I'll go track him down and bring him over." Seonghwa bowed his head slightly to his father before walking away from the table.</p><p>Seonghwa proceeded to squeeze through the crowd of people, making his way towards the house. Once he was inside, it was way quieter in there than it was outside, totally cut off from the commotion from outside. Seonghwa went back to the bedrooms thinking that he would find him there, but after checking every single room, he didn't see one sign of his lover.</p><p>Seonghwa spent the next few minutes searching the whole house for Hongjoong, but he couldn't find him anywhere. A pit in his stomach began to grow and panic started coursing through his veins. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find Hongjoong.</p><p>Finally, he decided to make his way out to the front, maybe Hongjoong would be at the rose bushes as he usually was when he needed to think to himself. When he came out of the front door, he caught sight of a black van out front, and two men dressed in all black were dragging a shouting Hongjoong into the van. Seonghwa widened his eyes as the door shut and the van began to speed off.</p><p>"NOOOOO!" Seonghwa screamed, ripping a gun from a holster hidden within his suit jacket.</p><p>He unloaded a few rounds at the van, trying to shoot out the tires before they got past the gate. Every shot was a complete failure, and Seonghwa stood in shock as the van disappeared through the gate. A mixture of panic, fear, and cold-blooded anger flooded through him.</p><p>Seonghwa bolted back inside, making his way to the backyard. He raised the gun into the air, shooting into the air, causing people to stop what they were doing and look at him with panicked expressions. </p><p>"EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT! NOW!" Seonghwa shouted, an insane look on his face. "OUT!" He finished off the last couple of rounds into the air.</p><p>People began to flood frantically out of the backyard, wasting no time on vacating the premises as soon as possible.</p><p>Hyejun came running over to Seonghwa, grabbing ahold of his son's arm with a look of concern.</p><p>"What the hell is going on? What are you doing, Seonghwa?" Hyejun looked at his son in the eyes. "Tell me what happened."</p><p>Seonghwa breathed in a shaky manner, looking as if he were about to snap into a murderous rage right there. </p><p>"Someone took Hongjoong, dad... He's gone... And when I find out who, I'm going to kill every single fucking person involved..."</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[continuation of the last chapter]</p><p>Hyejun felt his stomach fall to his toes upon hearing what Seonghwa just told him. "Wait... What? Who would take him?</p><p>Seonghwa shook his head as he trembled in anger. "That's what I need to find out, but I have an itching suspicion of who it could be."</p><p>"Let me help you. I know how much he means to you, and I am willing to do anything in my power to help you, son." Hyejun sounded determined and placed both hands on Seonghwa's shoulders.</p><p>"You can't help me here... You'll only get yourself hurt. You need to leave, now," Seonghwa demanded with a growl behind his voice.</p><p>Seonghwa began to walk back inside, he needed to check the security footage that lined the outside of his home, maybe that would tell him where exactly he needed to go to get his lover back.</p><p>Hyejun immediately followed behind his son, he was going to convince Seonghwa to let him help no matter what it took.</p><p>"Seonghwa, please. Whatever you need me to do, I can help you. I know more about this than you think I do." Hyejun admitted as he followed Seonghwa into the security room on the far left end of the house.</p><p>"And what the hell do you think you know about ANY of this dad?" Seonghwa whipped around, shooting a glare at the older man before him. "What could you possibly know about my line of work? We haven't spoken in YEARS."</p><p>"I..." Hyejun hesitated for a moment. "I was contacted by a Samuel Nims just a week before today, saying he was your employer... He told me about the wedding, and that he needed my help with something. He told me that I needed to attend the wedding and be with my son, it was the least I could do after what I'd done to you when you were still just a kid..."</p><p>It all of a sudden clicked in Seonghwa's head, which gave him all the answers that he needed to be able to find out where Hongjoong was taken. But now his face began to turn to a shade of red as the anger he felt intensified, he was starting to see red. Seonghwa suddenly charged at his father, throwing his hands around Hyejun's throat, pushing him back into the wall as he had him pinned.</p><p>"SO YOU WERE INVOLVED WITH THIS?! YOU GOT HIM TAKEN AWAY FROM ME? WHAT WERE YOU?! SOME FUCKING DISTRACTION SO THEY COULD COME IN AND TAKE HIM?! YOU'VE TAKEN MY WHOLE WORLD FROM ME ONCE AGAIN!" Seonghwa shouted in anger, squeezing his hands tighter around his neck. </p><p>"S-Seonghwa... I... didn't know..." Hyejun choked out as he grabbed at the hands around his throat. "Please... I didn't... know... this would... happen..."</p><p>"LIAR! HOW COULD YOU NOT HAVE KNOWN?!" Seonghwa was breathing hard with anger. </p><p>"I just... wanted... to... see my... son..." Hyejun struggled to say the words, tears beginning to come from the corners of his eyes. "I'm so... so sorry..."</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly pulled his hands away from his father's neck, taking a step back. Hyejun collapsed to his hands and knees on the floor, gasping and coughing for air.</p><p>"You're going to help me find him... And if a single hair on his head is even slightly brushed, I promise I will make sure you never walk this earth again, dad... I fucking promise you that..." Seonghwa growled, trying to refrain from already killing him.</p><p>"I'll do anything to help... This is all my fault, I never intended for this to happen, son. I didn't know anything..." Hyejun said as he looked up at his son after he regained his breath.</p><p>"Yeah, you never intend for anything to happen, that's how you ruined my whole fucking life before." Seonghwa spat bitterly, then walked out of the security room. "Get up off the fucking floor. We're going for a drive."</p><p>Hyejun pulled himself from the floor, rubbing his neck softly as he began following behind Seonghwa. </p><p>After grabbing a set of keys from his desk and switching out the clip of his gun for a full one, Seonghwa made his way out to the garage followed by Hyejun. He hit the button for the garage door to open before both of them hopped into one of the cars.</p><p>"There's a spare gun in the glove box, I hope you know how to shoot because I can guarantee this is not ending without a spray of bullets," Seonghwa said before turning on the car and peeling out of the garage.</p><p>"Of course I've shot a gun before. There's a lot you don't know about me, son." Hyejun replied as he pulled the spare gun out of the glove box.</p><p>"I'm aware of that. Here I thought you were coming to my fucking wedding because you wanted to, but in reality, you were coerced by somebody else." Seonghwa spat back, speeding his way down the street. "I don't want to know shit about you anymore."</p><p>Hyejun glanced over at Seonghwa in the driver's seat, sighing out softly as he shoved the handgun into the back of his belt for later. He decided to leave it at that instead of trying to make things better, there was a bigger problem ahead of them.</p><p>After about an hour of driving, Seonghwa came to a screeching halt in front of the gates that stood before Samuel's estate. Two large men pointing guns at the car began to approach, but Seonghwa wasn't going to wait to reason with them.</p><p>"Duck your head, now," Seonghwa demanded, putting the car back in gear.</p><p>"What are you-" Before Hyejun could finish, Seonghwa pressed on the gas to the floor, speeding right towards the men.</p><p>Hyejun immediately ducked his head down just before a spray of bullets began firing at the car. Two loud thuds hit against the car as both men were taken out by the speeding car, then another loud crash as they rammed through the front gate.</p><p>Somehow, Seonghwa didn't get hit by a single bullet, he barely even flinched when fire was first opened on them. He pulled around the car around the circle drive, wasting no time to stop the car and get out. Hyejun followed right after him, pulling the gun from his belt and having it ready.</p><p>As they were approaching the home, two men baring machine guns came bolting out of the front doors. Before they could even aim their guns, Seonghwa didn't even stop coming as he lifted his and made quick, direct headshots without even having to aim.</p><p>Hyejun was in complete shock with what he was seeing from his son. He couldn't believe that it was so easy for him to take the lives of others without batting an eyelash, this clearly wasn't the first time that he'd done something like this.</p><p>Seonghwa made his way into the house with Hyejun right behind him, the look of bloodthirst and danger in his eyes. Seonghwa didn't care what he had to do or how many people he needed to take out, he was going to get his husband back one way or another.</p><p>As they made their way down the series of hallways to Samuel's office, the halls were surprisingly bare. Aside from the men the encountered before, it seemed like there was no one in sight. Which, Seonghwa found it very strange, this place was always heavily guarded with security detail.</p><p>When they got to Samuel's office door, Seonghwa could hear muffled screaming coming from inside the room, and he quickly recognized that is was Hongjoong. Without hesitation, Seonghwa took a step back before kicking the door in, his gun drawn and raised in his hand.</p><p>Seonghwa saw that Samuel was standing at his desk, he had ahold of Hongjoong from behind with a revolver held against the side of his head. The smaller male was bound with his hands behind his back, a piece of cloth tied around his mouth to prevent him from speaking, fearful tears streaming down his cheeks. Seonghwa trained his gun on Samuel, cold blood beginning to run through his veins. Hyejun followed into the room, standing beside Seonghwa with his gun also drawn.</p><p>"I'm surprised by how quick you found out that I took your little pet from you, Seonghwa..." Samuel said in a cheeky tone, grinning with amusement. </p><p>"He's not my pet!" Seonghwa snarled, gritting his teeth. "That's my fucking husband, Samuel! You had no reason for taking him from me on MY fucking wedding day!"</p><p>Samuel pushed the barrel of the revolver harder against the side of Hongjoongs head. "You watch your tone, boy... I hold his very lifeline in my hands, I'd be careful if I were you. I had every reason to take him, it was the only way I could get you to listen."</p><p>"Samuel, let the boy go and we can talk about this like professional, reasonable men." Hyejun chimed in, swallowing hard. </p><p>"He's far from reasonable, and he's surely not professional judging by his dirty play," Seonghwa remarked, keeping his gun trained. "What is it you want, Samuel?"</p><p>"I was so disappointed upon receiving your word about not wanting to take over the business when I go... And, that you wanted to "get out" of this line of work. You know better, Seonghwa, you can't ever get out of this, especially not someone of your rank and power." Samuel said with a slight chuckle. "If you continue to deny your position within this operation, I'm afraid this boy's life is only getting in the way of what you're destined to become, and I'll have no problem changing that."</p><p>Samuel lifted his thumb as he pressed back the hammer of the revolver, and Seonghwa could feel panic begin to rise in his heart.</p><p>"Samuel, let him go, now. If you let him go, we can discuss this over again... I'll reconsider what I've said, just please let him go." Seonghwa suddenly dropped his gun, putting his hands up in a surrendering manner. "Dad... Put the gun down."</p><p>Samuel shook his head as he laughed once again. "I know you better than that, Seonghwa... I know you better than your own father does. Isn't that right, Mr. Park? Who took care of your son while you threw him to the dogs?"</p><p>Hyejun blinked in shock before his face started to heat up in anger, his hand tightening around the grip of the gun but he dropped his hands at his side.</p><p>"You didn't take care of me either, you groomed and trained me to be your fucking puppet. I was just a pawn in your little game, and before you knew it I became way better than you at your own job. At least my father wouldn't have done something as sick as that." Seonghwa fired back, defending his father at that moment.</p><p>Samuel stared at Seonghwa for a while, a wicked smile now forming on his face. "Better than me? You couldn't even pull the fucking trigger yourself when you started working with me. You got others to do your dirty work. Hasn't changed much, has it? At least I'm not afraid to pull the fucking trigger."</p><p>Samuel suddenly aimed the gun right at Seonghwa, Hongjoong screaming out as he shook his head. When the gun was fired, Seonghwa turned his head as he flinched, but felt no gunshot make contact. Seonghwa slowly turned his head back as he saw his father standing in front of him.</p><p>Hyejun had jumped in front of the bullet, shielding his son from the gunfire. Hyejun instantly dropped to the ground, lifeless, it was a direct kill shot to the heart, blood beginning to seep through the fabric of his shirt. Seonghwa dropped his mouth open in shock, watching his father collapse at his feet.</p><p>Seonghwa collapsed to his knees, pulling his father into his arms as he began to sob.</p><p>"No! Please no! Dad!" Seonghwa shouted in cries of devastation, pressing his head against his father's forehead as he lay lifeless in his arms. "No... No, no, no, no, no..."</p><p>"Not what I wanted out of that... But that'll be good enough." Samuel said as he cocked his head. "Don't tell me you're crying over some lowlife that threw you away, Seonghwa... You're better off. Here's your pet... Now, let's talk."</p><p>Samuel set his gun down briefly, grabbing a knife and cutting the ties off of Hongjoong, then shoving the smaller male to the floor.</p><p>Seonghwa lifted his head up, tears streaming down his face. "HE WAS MY FATHER! YOU KILLED HIM! HE MAY HAVE THROWN ME AWAY, BUT HE NEVER DID A DAMN THING TO HURT ME!"</p><p>With a swift motion, Seonghwa lifted the gun in his hand, pulling the trigger and connecting a bullet between Samuel's eyes. Samuel's head flew back from the force of the bullet, then fell back against the wall behind his desk.</p><p>Seonghwa dropped the gun as he continued to sob pathetically, still holding his father in one arm. When Samuel dropped to the floor, Hongjoong looked around completely panicked from the events that just happened. Hongjoong immediately scrambled over to Seonghwa's side, wrapping his arms around the hysterical male as he hugged him.</p><p>"Seonghwa... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..." Hongjoong held onto him tightly.</p><p>"He's gone... I hated him up until this moment... And now I'll never be able to fix that." Seonghwa cried out as he shook his head. "What have I done..."</p><p>"Seonghwa... We need to go, we need to go now before more people show up and find out what's happened here." Hongjoong pulled away from the hug as he tried pulling on the taller male. "Come on."</p><p>Seonghwa shrugged Hongjoong off of him, holding his father's body closer to his chest. "I CAN'T LEAVE HIM HERE! I CAN'T!"</p><p>Hongjoong grabbed ahold of Seonghwa by his collar, pulling on him hard as he started to pull him away from Hyejun. Seonghwa fought hard against him, screaming out as he tried to get back to his father's body.</p><p>"STOP! I CAN'T LEAVE HIM, JOONG! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Seonghwa cried out desperately.</p><p>Despite how strong Seonghwa was, Hongjoong finally managed to pull him away from the body on the floor. Hongjoong had a tight hold on Seonghwa's hand as they ran down the hallway.</p><p>Before anyone was able to stop them from leaving, they were able to make it back to the car that Seonghwa had arrived in. Hongjoong made Seonghwa get into the passenger seat, he was too hysterical to drive, so Hongjoong had to drive no matter how shaken up he was. Peeling out of the circle drive, they sped off down the road away from the Nims estate.</p><p>Seonghwa slammed his head against the glass of the passenger side door, continuing to sob from the immense heartbreak he was feeling.</p><p>No matter how much he hated his father, that didn't change the fact that deep down he still loved him. His father was a rough man around the edges, but the memories he had of his father at a young age still held a warm place in his heart. Those memories kept playing in his head over and over now that he was gone, and he'd never see him again.</p><p>Seonghwa got his husband back, but in return, he lost the most important person in his life. A wedding day that he'll never be able to forget.</p><p> </p><p>(A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was rushed and all over the place ;-; pls look forward to the next one.)</p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VERY SENSITIVE CONTENT AND MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME READERS. IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER.]</p><p> </p><p>About a week had passed since what happened at the Nims estate, and to everyone's surprise, no one came after Seonghwa after he took out the biggest criminal boss in the nation. In fact, no one dared come near him. Many had tried to take Samuel down before, and no one was ever able to succeed in doing so. This made everyone uneasy, filled with cowardice.</p><p>Seonghwa may have finally freed himself from Samuel's grasp, but his battle wasn't over. The loss of his father hit him harder than expected. For a man that was barely fazed by the aspect of death, when he held his father's lifeless body in his arms, it opened his eyes to everything. </p><p>Hongjoong tried to do everything to be there for his new husband, but every attempt he made to even get close to him, Seonghwa would push him away or shut him out. Seonghwa was completely isolating himself, he never left his bedroom unless it was to get another bottle of alcohol, then he'd retreat right back to his room.</p><p>One morning when Hongjoong woke up in his own bed, he decided to go to Seonghwa's room to see if he was still in bed or not.</p><p>Hongjoong approached Seonghwa's bedroom door, twisting the door handle before he pushed the door open slowly. He saw the taller male sitting up on the edge of his bed, a glass of some type of alcohol in his hand as he was hunched over.</p><p>Hongjoong swallowed a bit hard, walking into the room hesitantly and making his way over to his lover. The smaller male crawled slowly onto the bed, coming up behind Seonghwa to wrap his arms around his shoulders.</p><p>"Did you sleep at all last night..?" Hongjoong questioned in a soft voice, peppering soft kisses on Seonghwa's cheek.</p><p>"No..." That's all Seonghwa replied with.</p><p>"Do you finally want to talk about what happened? You know I'm here for you, right?" Hongjoong said as he leaned over Seonghwa's shoulder and grabbed his chin, making him turn his head to look at him.</p><p>The look in Seonghwa's eyes was empty, the bags beneath his eyes displaying countless nights without any sleep, and the whites of his eyes were glassy and bloodshot from the excessive amount of alcohol in his bloodstream.</p><p>"No..." Seonghwa replied in a blunt tone.</p><p>"You never told me anything about your father... I never knew he existed until that day. I'm so sorry that this happened, Seonghwa. I want to help you, but I can't do anything unless you give me something to work on." Hongjoong soothed, stroking the soft skin of Seonghwa's cheek with his thumb.</p><p>Seonghwa blinked a few times, his jaw clenching at the mention of his father. "I told you not to mention him... I told you not to." Seonghwa's words slurred from how drunk he was.</p><p>"I-I know, and I'm sorry... I just want you to talk to me. I know how this feels, I do." Hongjoong replied before looking down.</p><p>"How could you possibly know how this feels?" Seonghwa snapped back, his mood suddenly changing. "How could you even begin to understand how I feel right now?"</p><p>"Because I..." Hongjoong hesitated for a moment before he decided not to mention his past. "Nevermind that. If you don't want to talk to me, then fine. Just know I'm here."</p><p>Seonghwa pulled himself out of Hongjoong's arms, leaning over to his nightstand to set his glass down.</p><p>"I'll leave you alone for-"</p><p>Hongjoong was cut off as Seonghwa had suddenly turned to him, grabbing onto his shoulders firmly as he pushed him back on the bed. Seonghwa then proceeded to crawl on top of Hongjoong and straddle him, grabbing the smaller male's wrists and putting them above his head.</p><p>"Seonghwa, what are you doing? Get off of me." Hongjoong said with a frown, trying to pull his wrists from Seonghwa's grasp. "Let me go."</p><p>"I need a distraction..." Seonghwa said before he buried his face into Hongjoong's neck, biting at the soft skin a bit rough.</p><p>Hongjoong winced slightly as he felt Seonghwa biting at his neck, squirming to try and get away from him.</p><p>"Seonghwa, stop! You're hurting me!" Hongjoong snapped, whining in an uncomfortable manner.</p><p>Seonghwa pulled his face away then grabbed Hongjoong's face with his free hand aggressively. "You don't tell me what to do. Stop fighting me."</p><p>Hongjoong began to feel panic brewing in his stomach as he could see the unsettling look in Seonghwa's eyes. Before he knew it, Seonghwa let go of his wrists and tried to rip his shirt off of him. Hongjoong desperately tried to get him to stop, but Seonghwa still managed to get it off.</p><p>"Seonghwa! Please! Please don't do this!" Hongjoong cried out as he tried to push Seonghwa off of him. "You're just drunk and upset! You don't want to do this!"</p><p>"Oh but I do..." Seonghwa growled as he then leaned down, kissing the smaller male aggressively.</p><p>In response, Hongjoong bit Seonghwa's lip pretty hard, sending a warning for him to stop. Seonghwa jerked away as he hissed in pain, touching his lip as a tiny bit of blood came off on his finger. Seonghwa was not happy with this one bit, the look in his eye becoming menacing, and Seonghwa suddenly smacked Hongjoong hard enough to cause the smaller male to yelp in pain.</p><p>Hongjoong held his cheek as he huffed out in shock, tears starting to spill from his eyes, now beginning to sob out of fear. When Seonghwa realized what he'd just done, he immediately stopped and got off of Hongjoong. Seonghwa had no idea what had gotten into him, even he was shocked.</p><p>"Joong, I..." Seonghwa reached for his lover, but Hongjoong immediately crawled away from him.</p><p>"Don't touch me! You're fucking crazy, Seonghwa! Don't you EVER lay a hand on me again, I swear to god!" Hongjoong shouted through his tears as he got off of the bed.</p><p>Hongjoong started to walk towards the bedroom door to leave, but Seonghwa scrambled after him and grabbed his arm, spinning the smaller male around and pulling him into his chest.</p><p>"LET GO OF ME!" Hongjoong screamed as he tried to push Seonghwa off again.</p><p>"Please, Joong, I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to do any of that." Seonghwa said as he held onto him tightly. "Please forgive me."</p><p>Hongjoong mustered up all of his strength, placing his hands on Seonghwa's chest and shoving him off. Hongjoong slapped Seonghwa so hard that Seonghwa almost fell to the ground. Seonghwa touched his cheek as it burned furiously from the slap, looking at Hongjoong with a slightly shocked look.</p><p>"GET YOUR FUCKING SHIT TOGETHER! I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE GRIEVING, BUT DON'T YOU EVER TAKE IT OUT ON ME! IF YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN WITH A SINGLE DROP OF ALCOHOL IN YOUR SYSTEM, I WILL WRING YOUR NECK!" Hongjoong threatened, anger and hurt could be heard in his voice. </p><p>Seonghwa opened his mouth to say something, but Hongjoong had already stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Seonghwa stood there as his bottom lip began to tremble slightly, running a hand through his hair and taking in a deep breath. He knew just how bad he had fucked up, and regret had swelled in his chest like a heavy tumor. </p><p>Seonghwa had never hit rock bottom like this before, and Hongjoong got caught up in the middle of it. </p><p>___________________</p><p>Next day</p><p>___________________</p><p>After the incident the day before, Seonghwa had decided to put the bottle down to try and pull himself together. He needed to fix what he'd done to Hongjoong, he overstepped so many boundaries and he knew he needed to have a clear head when trying to make it right.</p><p>That afternoon, Hongjoong was in the kitchen, sitting alone at the large island as he munched on a bowl of chips slowly. He didn't have a big appetite after what happened, he was still in shock over what Seonghwa had done to him. Hongjoong had a book opened in front of him, but he was just spacing out on the pages, he wasn't even reading it, just eating his chips on auto-pilot.</p><p>Hongjoong seemed to snap out of his daze when he heard bare footsteps tapping on the floor, coming into the kitchen. He slowly lifted his eyes, looking over at the black-haired male that had just entered, then quickly looked back down at his book. Hongjoong couldn't look at him after yesterday, he didn't even feel that comfortable being in the same room either.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he slowly approached Hongjoong. The taller male took a seat next to Hongjoong, folding his hands on the granite top of the island.</p><p>"Joong... Can we talk about what happened yesterday?" Seonghwa asked in a soft tone, looking over at the white-haired male.</p><p>"Talk about what?" Hongjoong said before he stuck another chip in his mouth.</p><p>"About... About what I did to you..." Seonghwa blinked a few times and looked to the floor.</p><p>"Oh... You mean holding me on the bed, ripping my shirt off, then hitting me after I begged you to stop?" Hongjoong said in a blunt tone, looking up at Seonghwa with a blank expression. "What about it?"</p><p>Seonghwa could feel his chest tighten with regret. "I-I... I... I'm sorry, Joong... I know that doesn't amount to anything, nothing I say can take back what I did. All I can say is I sincerely regret what I've done... I wasn't in the right state of mind, I lost control of myself, and I took it out on you. It's not fair to you you, I shouldn't have done that. I'm so, so sorry."</p><p>"I'm not going to just listen to your pitiful sorries anymore, Seonghwa. You aren't the only person who has suffered some kind of loss." Hongjoong said in a bitter tone. "I didn't want to tell you this yesterday because I wanted to focus on you, not myself. When I was a teenager, my parents died... Violently... In a car crash. I was supposed to be with them, but I stayed home because I had to study for a stupid exam."</p><p>Seonghwa looked up at Hongjoong, realizing he never knew that bit of information about him. Hongjoong never talked about his parents, he always avoided the subject when it came up, and Seonghwa just never thought anything about it.</p><p>"Joong..." Seonghwa began, but Hongjoong cut him off.</p><p>"You said I didn't understand how it felt, how YOU felt, but I do. I've been on my fucking own since I was sixteen years old. You think your life fucking sucked because your daddy didn't love you?" Hongjoong let out a scoff. "Well, my fucking father AND my mother died on the same night. How do you think I felt? You're not the only god damn person who's lost someone."</p><p>Hongjoong stood up from the chair, starting to walk away from Seonghwa, but Seonghwa had caught his arm gently. The smaller male seemed to flinch when he felt Seonghwa's touch, slowly turning his head as he glared at Seonghwa.</p><p>"I told you not to fucking touch me ever-" Hongjoong started to speak, but fell silent when he saw tears streaming down Seonghwa's face.</p><p>"Joong... Please, I'm so sorry. I know I fucked up, I know I broke my promise of never hurting you again. You don't have to forgive me, but please just believe me when I say I'm sorry." Seonghwa choked out through soft sobs. </p><p>Seonghwa got off of the stool, getting on his knees before the smaller male, and gripping onto his shirt as he pressed his forehead into Hongjoong's stomach. Hongjoong stared down at the black-haired male that held onto him, just listening to the heartbreaking sobs escaping from his mouth.</p><p>Hongjoong sighed out, then got onto his knees as well, wrapping his arms around Seonghwa's shoulder and pulling the sobbing male into his chest. Hongjoong proceeded to stroke the back of his lover's head soothingly, trying to get him to calm down. </p><p>"Please... I'm so sorry, Joong... I'm so sorry." Seonghwa pleaded through muffled sobs as he buried his face into the smaller male's chest.</p><p>"Seonghwa... Stop crying... Look at me..." Hongjoong grabbed both sides of Seonghwa's head, lifting his head so he could look the taller male in the eyes. "Pull it together, breathe for me, baby..."</p><p>Regardless of what Seonghwa did to him, Hongjoong knew that he never intended to do the things he did. While it wasn't right on any level, Seonghwa desperately needed someone, Seonghwa needed support through this intense period of grief.</p><p>Seonghwa took a few shaky breaths as he tried to calm himself down, trying to choke back the tears that were falling down his cheeks.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, Joong..." Seonghwa whined out softly as he shook his head.</p><p>"I know, I know... You have the right to grieve, but you cannot do it like this. You can't take it out on me, and you can't suppress your grief with alcohol. It only numbs the pain, it doesn't take it away." Hongjoong said looking into Seonghwa's dark-colored eyes. "If you're going to grieve, you need to let me help you, you need to talk to me, don't shut me out."</p><p>Seonghwa nodded as his sobs finally ceased. "I won't shut you out, I promise. I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I can't say anything else other than sorry."</p><p>"As you should be, you stepped over a very big line... But, I'm not going to hold it against you. I love you, you fucking idiot." Hongjoong said with a slight smile, wiping the remaining tears from Seonghwa's face. "I don't know why, but I really do love you, and I'm going to do everything I can to walk by your side through the fire."</p><p>Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong for a while before a sad smile curled the corners of his lips. "I love you too..."</p><p>"See? There's that handsome smile." Hongjoong soothed as he pressed his forehead against his lover's.</p><p>"We're one step ahead to getting through this together..."</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18 (V-Day Special)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few weeks after everything that had happened, Seonghwa was finding it easier to death with the death of his father bit by bit, and Hongjoong had completely forgiven Seonghwa for the boundaries he had crossed. The pain that he had felt was beginning to suppress with the help of his lover. If it weren't for Hongjoong, he would continue to fall deeper into a hole that he wouldn't ever be able to crawl out of.</p><p>But just because everything was beginning to pull itself together again, that didn't mean that the life ahead of them was going to be peaceful. No, the life they lived would always hang above their heads, potential danger and chaos looming around every corner, but that wouldn't stop them from trying to keep things as normal as possible.</p><p>One morning while Seonghwa was still sleeping, Hongjoong had awoken earlier than usual, so he decided that he would prepare a nice breakfast for his husband. It was Valentine's Day after all. Seonghwa had been doing his best to work on himself, so Hongjoong figured that he would do something to help bring up his spirits for the day.</p><p>When Seonghwa had finally begun to wake up, the savory smell of food and coffee filled his nose. His eyes slowly opened as he laid on his side in bed, noticing that his lover wasn't next to him. Seonghwa smiled tiredly to himself, he knew Hongjoong must've prepared food and had it waiting for when he awoke.</p><p>Seonghwa slowly sat up, reaching his arms back while he stretched, a small grunt escaping from his throat. He then finally stepped out of bed, scratching his chest a bit as he made his way out of the bedroom. He didn't care enough to properly dress beforehand like he always did in the mornings, he was more comfortable with a bare torso, only a thin pair of sweatpants hanging onto his waist.</p><p>Hongjoong was finishing cooking the last bit of food when Seonghwa came waddling tiredly into the kitchen. Seonghwa grinned slightly when he saw that his lover was dressed in one of his dress shirts and a pair of black boxers. Clearly, his lover didn't care enough to dress himself either.</p><p>Hongjoong felt a pair of arms snake around his waist from behind, a pair of velvet lips peppering gentle kisses along the nape of his neck. Hongjoong immediately smiled as he bit down on the soft skin of his bottom lip. He was in the middle of frying some eggs on a skillet but turned off the stovetop before he moved the pan to the back of the stove so they wouldn't burn.</p><p>The smaller male turned around to face his lover, wrapping his arms around Seonghwa's neck before connecting a loving kiss to his lips.</p><p>"Good morning sexy..." Seonghwa cooed as he pulled away from the kiss slightly. "What's all this?"</p><p>"I wanted to make you some breakfast to start off your day on a good note," Hongjoong replied with a small smile. "I know you're having your first meeting later today after all that's happened. I want you in a good mood."</p><p>"Are you on the menu? I could eat you right up, right here." Seonghwa muttered to his lover as he gripped Hongjoong's hips, lowering his head down into the smaller male's neck and biting on the soft skin playfully.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a giggle of surprise followed by a soft whine. "No! I am not! Maybe if you eat the breakfast I made for you, then I'll let you have dessert." Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa by his cheeks, pulling his head from his neck so he could give him a gentle peck. "Eat up, I already had mine."</p><p>Seonghwa's face formed into a pout, a disappointed growl rumbling in his throat before he then nodded. "Alright. I guess I could eat some actual food."</p><p>Hongjoong rolled his eyes at the baby-like behavior of his lover. He turned around and grabbed the skillet full of eggs, walking over to the plate that was on the island, and dumping the fluffy eggs onto the plate. The plate already had some toast and sausage loaded on it. Hongjoong grabbed a fork, then handed the plate to Seonghwa with a smile.</p><p>Seonghwa took the plate from Hongjoong, leaning in to place a small kiss on the smaller male's forehead before he walked to sit down at the island. Hongjoong poured some coffee into a clean mug, then sat next to his lover and setting the coffee mug beside his plate.</p><p>"How did you sleep? Are you catching up on the hours that you've missed?" Hongjoong asked as he traced small circles onto Seonghwa's back with his index finger.</p><p>Seonghwa gave a subtle nod while shoving a fork full of food into his mouth. "I definitely got more sleep last night than I've had in a while. I feel a bit better after that."</p><p>"Good... It's so relieving to see that you're improving. I miss that mischievous, playful husband of mine." Hongjoong leaned over kissing the smooth skin of Seonghwa's shoulder. "I knew you'd come back to me soon enough."</p><p>Seonghwa shoveled a few more bites into his mouth before he looked over at his lover with a sweet smile. "I couldn't have done it without your help. So caring and devoted to me, that's why I love you."</p><p>Hongjoong made eye contact with Seonghwa, reaching out a hand to play with a single bit of Seonghwa's hair. "You know I'd do anything for you because I love you even more. Finish your breakfast, then meet me in the bedroom, yeah?" Hongjoong said with a playful wink, then hopped off the stool before leaving the kitchen.</p><p>Seonghwa licked his bottom lip with a smirk as he watched Hongjoong walk off. That was all the motivation he needed to scarf down the rest of the food in front of him, he even tossed back the coffee in a couple of gulps.</p><p>After finishing all of the food, he leapt up from the stool, not even bothering to wash off the dishes, and made his way out of the kitchen. As he was walking down the hallway, Seonghwa could hear soft moans coming from inside his bedroom, his throat becoming a bit dry upon hearing this.</p><p>When Seonghwa slowly walked into his room, the sight of what his lover was doing made him bite down on his tongue. Hongjoong was laying on his back on Seonghwa's bed, boxers laying next to him, his legs spread open as he had a couple of fingers curling inside himself.</p><p>Something snapped in Seonghwa, the look on his face darkening as a smirk curled the corner of his mouth. "How dare you start without me? This won't do at all."</p><p>Seonghwa walked right over to the bed, grabbing ahold of his lover's ankles and pulling him to the edge of the bed roughly. Hongjoong let out a surprised squeak, his hand pulling away from his entrance. Seonghwa grabbed the collar of Hongjoong's shirt as he ripped it open, exposing the milky skin of his lover's torso. The black-haired male then clasped a hand around Hongjoong's neck as he made him sit up, small, struggling moans escaping Hongjoong's throat.</p><p>Seonghwa kept his hand tight around the smaller male's neck, leaning down to connect a rough, open-mouthed kiss with Hongjoong. Hongjoong grabbed ahold of the waistline of Seonghwa's pants, tugging them down to expose his lover's stiffening member and grabbing it with two hands as he began pumping it.</p><p>A low growl rumbled into the kiss from Seonghwa, his dominant side now fully coming alive. Seonghwa reached up another hand, grabbing a handful of Hongjoong's soft hair, tugging on it hard as he pulled his head back.</p><p>"Once I'm done with you, you're not gonna be able to walk for a while," Seonghwa said with a slightly threatening tone. "Lay back on the bed, now."</p><p>Hongjoong let go of Seonghwa's member, immediately doing as he was told, backing up further onto the bed and laying back against the soft mattress.</p><p>"You stay right there while I go to grab something. If you even move an inch..." Seonghwa began, grabbing Hongjoong's member in his hand roughly, triggering a small yelp from the smaller male. "This will be a punishment, and you won't enjoy it. Do you understand me, baby boy?"</p><p>"Y-Yes, Daddy..." Hongjoong whined out in a mixture of pain and pleasure. I u-understand..."</p><p>Seonghwa let go of Hongjoong with a grin. "Good boy..."</p><p>The taller male left the room for a moment, going to grab a few things from the "playroom" down the hall. When he came back, Hongjoong looked over, seeing that Seonghwa had grabbed handcuffs, a blindfold, a couple of black leather belts, a single red candle, and a vibrator. Hongjoong couldn't help but swallow dryly as he wondered how his lover was going to use all of those things on him, he couldn't help but feel a bit scared and excited at the same time.</p><p>Seonghwa wasted no time with taking Hongjoong's wrists and cuffing them to the metal bars of the headboard. He sat everything on the bed next to Hongjoong, then grabbed the candle before lighting it with a match and straddling the smaller male.</p><p>"W-What are you gonna use that- AH!" Hongjoong started to question, but Seonghwa had tilted the candle as wax began to drip on his chest.</p><p>Hongjoong let out harsh hisses as the hot wax stung against his skin. He strangely enjoyed ever hot drop that landed on his torso, a couple of quiet moans escaping his lips. Seonghwa bit down on his lip hard as he watched the smaller male beneath him writhe and whimper, dotting his milky skin with red drops of wax.</p><p>"I love the sounds you make... They sound so heavenly to me..." Seonghwa cooed in a seductive tone, smearing some of the fresh wax into Hongjoong's skin.</p><p>"You make me feel so good, Daddy... All these sounds are for you." Hongjoong replied with a whiny voice, seeming to become a bit impatient. "I want to feel you inside me..."</p><p>"Ah-ah-ah... Not yet, baby boy. I'm not done having my fun with you." Seonghwa shook his head before he blew out the candle.</p><p>Seonghwa grabbed the two belts and the vibrator after he set the candle down, a devious smile curling on his lips as he got off the smaller male's lap.</p><p>"Arch your back a little bit for me..." Seonghwa demanded, and Hongjoong immediately arched his back as he was told.</p><p>Seonghwa laid the vibrator against Hongjoong's member, then proceeded to strap it tightly in place with the two belts so it wouldn't slip off. Hongjoong bit down on his lip hard, he could tell what was coming next, he knew how Seonghwa was going to play this.</p><p>"Let's see how long you can last without cumming, baby boy." Seonghwa raised a brow down at his lover, then switch the vibrator on to the highest setting.</p><p>Hongjoong's breath hitched as the sudden sensation on his member took him by surprise, a few small moans coming from his mouth. While Hongjoong whined and writhed from the intensity of the vibrator, Seonghwa had gotten the bottle of lube from his nightstand and lubed up a couple of fingers. Seonghwa spread Hongjoong's legs widely apart and crawled between them. Without warning, the taller male shoved two of his fingers into Hongjoong's entrance, causing the white-haired male to cry out pathetically.</p><p>Hongjoong balled his hands into fists as he pulled against the handcuffs that restricted his wrists, becoming a moaning mess and shutting his eyes tightly. The dual sensations he was experiencing was too much for him.</p><p>"D-Daddy, p-please... It's too much..." Hongjoong whined out as his back arched. "I can't handle this, please stop."</p><p>"You tell me to stop, yet your body says otherwise. The way you're moaning and clenching around my fingers... You better learn to control yourself, baby boy." Seonghwa replied, using his free hand to clasp around Hongjoong's neck again.</p><p>Hongjoong's moans turned into struggling grunts from the pressure around his throat, a warm feeling beginning to bubble in his gut as the pleasure was becoming too much for him to handle. If Seonghwa kept going at this rate, he was going to explode in no time.</p><p>"I-I... I-I'm going to cum... I-I c-cant!" Hongjoong cried out, tears of pleasure beginning to prick his eyes.</p><p>"You CAN and WILL hold it. If you cum, you're not gonna like what comes next. Hold it." Seonghwa demanded in a stern tone, continuing to curl his fingers as he pumped them in and out.</p><p>Hongjoong dug his fingernails into his palms and bit down on his lip hard enough to draw a tiny bit of blood. He did everything in his power to hold back as he was told to do, but it became harder and harder with each passing second, this almost felt like torture to him. Hongjoong didn't know how much longer it would last, but it felt like an eternity.</p><p>Finally, after a while longer, Seonghwa finally pulled his fingers away and let go of Hongjoong's neck. Hongjoong let out a groan of relief, but he continued to writhe a bit from the vibrator still on at full speed. Seonghwa grabbed the bottle of lube, slicking up his lengthy, rock hard member, and before Hongjoong could even protest, he cried out as Seonghwa shoved into him roughly.</p><p>Seonghwa gripped ahold of Hongjoong's legs, spreading them further as he thrust in and out vigorously. He dropped his head back a bit, letting out a loud groan from the feeling of Hongjoong's tight, velvet walls clench around him. Tears of pain and pleasure streamed down the sides of Hongjoong's cheeks as he could do nothing but take the ruthless pounding of his lover, his sweet spot being abused over and over again.</p><p>"Daddy... P-Please, let me cum!" Hongjoong moaned loudly, his eyes shutting tightly.</p><p>"Cum..." Seonghwa demanded through breathless grunts.</p><p>That was enough to send the smaller male over the edge. Hongjoong arched his back, his head pressing back into the bed as he released all over his chest, pathetic, whiny cries coming from him as Seonghwa rode out his orgasm.</p><p>"Fuck..." Seonghwa growled under his breath, his own thrusts becoming a bit sloppy as his own orgasm was creeping up on him.</p><p>After a few more hard and quick thrusts, Hongjoong could feel Seonghwa's member twitch inside of him as he released. Seonghwa groaned loudly, digging his fingertips into Hongjoong's hips roughly.</p><p>Once he came down from his high, Seonghwa switched off the vibrator and unstrapped it from Hongjoong's member, then proceeded to take the handcuffs off of his lover. He took everything that he used and just lazily tossed it onto the floor beside the bed.</p><p>The taller male then wasted no time to lick up every drop off of his lover, making sure he didn't leave anything behind. He licked his lips as he hummed out, enjoying the lingering sweetness in his mouth before collapsing next to his lover</p><p>"Fuck... I needed that so bad..." Seonghwa sighed out, wiping some sweat from his brow.</p><p>Hongjoong scooted into Seonghwa's side, slinging an arm over his chest and a leg over his waist as he cuddled into him. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby..."</p><p>"Happy Valentine's Day..."</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p><p>(A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this smutty V-Day special chapter. I will be returning with another official chapter of this tomorrow, so please look forward to it. much love &lt;3)</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Next day...</p><p>__________________</p><p>After the meeting that Seonghwa had the day prior, he'd been acting a bit off, more than usual. Hongjoong wasn't there for the meeting, his services weren't needed, so he did as he was told and stayed in his room while the meeting commenced. He didn't even see who it was, he was supposed to stay in his room before and after the meeting for privacy purposes, which was strange to begin with. Seonghwa always had Hongjoong in the room regardless of who was coming to see him, but this time was different.</p><p>Seonghwa acted as if everything had gone well, but he seemed to be stuck with one foot in his train of thought and the other in reality. He was more spacey, hardly paying attention to Hongjoong when he would try to interact with him.</p><p>That morning, the consistent tapping of keyboard keys had somehow woken Hongjoong up from a deep sleep as he laid curled up in Seonghwa's bed. Rubbing his face, Hongjoong drew a deep breath while rolling over to face the other side of the room. He opened his eyes, seeing his lover neatly dressed and finely groomed while he worked at his desk.</p><p>"Seonghwa? You're already working? This early in the morning?" Hongjoong asked in a raspy, tired tone as he sat up slowly in bed.</p><p>Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong for a brief moment before he turned back to his computer screen. "I have some things to set in place, time to clean up a few things..."</p><p>Hongjoong furrowed his brows slightly and cocked his head. "What are you talking about? What do you have to clean up?"</p><p>"Come here..." Seonghwa signaled towards himself with two fingers before sitting back in his chair. "I want to tell you something important, and you're probably not going to like it."</p><p>"O..kay?" Hongjoong said with slight suspicion in his voice.</p><p>The smaller male crawled over the bed slowly, getting up off the bed to walk over towards Seonghwa's desk. He brushed some of the messy white hair from his face as he stood at his lover's side.</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>Seonghwa turned in his computer chair to face Hongjoong, then grabbed his hand gently and pulled him down into his lap. Hongjoong draped his arms loosely around the taller male's neck while Seonghwa held onto his waist.</p><p>"First of all, good morning," Seonghwa said with a warm smile, placing a subtle kiss upon Hongjoong's cheek.</p><p>"I know what you're doing... Don't kiss my ass, just tell me what's going on." Hongjoong huffed out softly as he raised a brow at Seonghwa.</p><p>Seonghwa pursed his lips together, a heavy sigh escaping through his nose. "Yesterday, I had a meeting with Hana, and-"</p><p>"Hana?!" Hongjoong exclaimed with widened eyes. "Why did you meet with Hana? Why didn't you have me there?"</p><p>"Relax, calm down." Seonghwa shook his head a bit. "It's not as serious as you think it is."</p><p>"What do you mean it's not serious? May I remind you of the events that happened on our WEDDING DAY? Do you even recall the things that happened?"</p><p>Seonghwa clenched his jaw slightly, shooting a look at Hongjoong. "Yes. I remember everything very clearly. I'm VERY aware of what happened, Hongjoong." Seonghwa's tone was snappy, a warning to Hongjoong to not step any further over the line.</p><p>Hongjoong suddenly looked down into his lap. "I-I'm sorry... Too far, I know. It's just... What does Hana want with us now? I mean it's been WEEKS since hell broke loose. Why is she just now reaching out after all this time?"</p><p>"Samuel's will was released by his lawyer last week..." Seonghwa began as he licked the inside of his cheek. "According to the will, I've been left everything. The money, the whole operation... And Hana is trying to convince me to take over."</p><p>Hongjoong looked back up at Seonghwa slowly, then started to shake his head. "Please tell me that you're not considering it..."</p><p>"I am, Joong..."</p><p>"You CANNOT be serious." Hongjoong let out a scoff with a look of surprise plastered on his face. "Why can't Hana continue to run the operation?"</p><p>"It's not as simple as you think. I already knew that when Samuel passed, I would take over his spot and the company would be all mine, I made a vow that I would." Seonghwa replied with a simple shrug.</p><p>"You're going to take over a WHOLE criminal organization? An organization that was run by the very man that killed your father?" Hongjoong said before he got off of Seonghwa's lap. "Have you gone absolutely mad?"</p><p>Seonghwa sat forward in his chair, pointing a finger at Hongjoong with a brewing look of anger in his eyes. "Don't fucking go there... I've told you many times before not to mention that in front of me."</p><p>"What happened to trying to work your way out of this business, Seonghwa? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Hongjoong persisted with a frown deepening on his brow.</p><p>Seonghwa stood up from his chair slowly, adjusting his dress shirt as he stared down into Hongjoong's eyes. "You may not know this, even though you should by now, but there's no way of getting out of this, even as head of the operation, I can't just abandon everything."</p><p>"Why not? You could easily sign the company over to Hana and live a normal life as we had planned! Are you just going to throw all of that away?" Hongjoong raised his voice, clearly upset upon hearing that Seonghwa would possibly take over the operation.</p><p>"Even if I were to do that, it wouldn't be that simple. Once you try to leave this kind of lifestyle, once you've learned more than you're supposed to, you paint a huge target on your back. Besides, I can turn the operation around if I'm the head, make it something better. The kind of power I will have, I can still provide for us and our lives won't be too jostled." Seonghwa tried to reason with his lover in the calmest way possible.</p><p>Hongjoong let out another scoff, a bitter laugh following soon after. "It's all about the fucking business matters, it's all about the fucking money and power, isn't it?"</p><p>"No, it's not-" Seonghwa started as he reached a hand to touch Hongjoong's face, but the smaller male backed off and cut him off.</p><p>"Clearly, it is! How are you going to turn around a whole operation that has made BILLIONS of dollars off of illegal drug trafficking and hits? You can't just do something like that and expect it to work out!" </p><p>"Joong! You're not seeing this from my point of view! You don't know the things that I do, I can't just turn this down!" Seonghwa protested with a raised voice. "This is MY work, this is how I provide for both of us!"</p><p>"This is not work! It's dangerous, it's illegal, and if you somehow fuck up, that's a bullet between your eyes! You're really trying to go out the same way that your father and Samuel went! As if holding your father's dead body in your arms wasn't enough!" Hongjoong exclaimed with his tongue dipped in poison.</p><p>Seonghwa gritted his teeth together, closing his eyes to try and keep his composure through the throbbing anger in his chest. "Joong... Please, I'm just trying to do everything I can here, you have to understand that. You have to see this from how I see it..."</p><p>"Fuck your point of view, keep me out of it." Hongjoong spat with a displeased look on his face, turning to walk away.</p><p>Seonghwa reached out and grabbed Hongjoong by his wrist, pulling the smaller male back to him. "You can't just say "fuck you" and walk away every time you don't agree with me. I'm tired of you acting like a temperamental toddler. I know what I'm doing isn't going to be easy, I know it's going to be riddled with consequences, and I can't do any of that if you're not standing at my side." Seonghwa said with slight anger in his tone.</p><p>"You didn't need me before, so why would you need me now? You were a multimillionaire way before I ever entered the picture. I think you'll manage..." Hongjoong glared up at Seonghwa.</p><p>"I can't do it without you because I fucking love you. I wouldn't have put that god damn ring on your finger if I didn't, I wouldn't fight tooth and nail to protect you. You are the only thing that keeps me going, the only thing that keeps me  motivated enough to try my hardest." Seonghwa said with a frown. "I know I've fucked up countless times before, I know I'm not perfect, but without you at my side I am nothing. Forget the money, forget the power, I am still nothing when you are not at my side."</p><p>Hongjoong looked away for a moment as he let out a deep sigh. "I'm not going to sit by and watch yourself get killed. It's one thing to be an asset for the company, it's another to fucking run it. I've supported you through all of this for too long."</p><p>"Hang on, what are you saying? Because if it's what I think you're going to say, I'm not letting it happen. Abso-fucking-lutely not." Seonghwa shook his head, cupping his hands on Hongjoong's cheeks. "It's not gonna happen, you're not going anywhere. I've lost you too many times before. Don't you dare..."</p><p>Hongjoong's chest tightened a bit as he looked at Seonghwa. "I have no choice. You promised me that we would escape all of this, move on with our lives, and you broke that promise. I'm tired of all these empty promises never getting filled."</p><p>"Please, Joong, I'm trying... I know how this feels to you, I know it's difficult, but you can't just drop everything we have. You're my husband, my best friend, my lover, for fuck's sake. Please, just give this a chance. I promise-"</p><p>"Enough with the promises, Seonghwa..."</p><p>"I'm serious, this promise I will fill. I'll turn the company around, I'll make our lives easier and risk-free. You just have to give me a chance to prove myself..." Seonghwa said as he leaned his forehead into Hongjoong's. "Please... Just trust me, baby. I won't break this promise. Just give me one chance."</p><p>Hongjoong bit on the flesh of his bottom lip as he thought about it for a moment. The white-haired male then let out another deep sigh.</p><p>"Alright... But if you don't follow through with this last promise, we're done. This may be the life you want, the life you're used to, but it's not what I want." Hongjoong said as he gripped onto Seonghwa's shirt. "I'm choosing to trust you... Don't make me look like the fool."</p><p>"I won't... I know I can do this. I'll make our lives better, I'll do everything to keep you happy. You won't end up looking like a fool, I promise." Seonghwa reassured with a smile.</p><p>Seonghwa leaned down and placed a loving, open-mouthed kiss upon his lover's lips, running a hand through his white hair soothingly. Hongjoong exhaled through his nose deeply, enjoying the way their lips interlocked with pure passion.</p><p>The taller male broke the kiss, still hovering just a centimeter from his lover's lips.</p><p>"You know I love you right?" Seonghwa questioned in a soft tone, stroking the soft skin of Hongjoong's cheeks with his thumbs.</p><p>"I know you do..." </p><p>"Say it back then..."</p><p>"I love you more, Seonghwa... I always will."</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From that point on, Seonghwa had officially been appointed as head of the organization, everything was beneath his fingertips. Despite what he had done to Samuel, surprisingly, the whole organization welcomed him with open arms, even Samuel's daughter, Hana. It was almost as if they had all been impatiently waiting for him to finally step up. After all, he was his father's son, he had the perfect skill set and intuition to run something as large as this.</p><p>A few weeks after Seonghwa had begun orchestrating the puppet strings, he wasn't living up to what he had originally promised, he didn't begin to turn the company around. In fact, it had only gotten worse from there. </p><p>The virtually endless power at his whim, the sea of green paper. The more he tasted, the more he wanted. While the organization was thriving more than it was before, the way it was changing Seonghwa was becoming dangerous. He had softened a lot since Hongjoong entered his life, but with a new taste of power on his tongue, the person he used to be was seeping through the cracks once again. Hongjoong tried to keep faith in his lover, but that was hanging by a hair-thin thread that was going to snap at any moment.</p><p>One afternoon, after receiving a request from Seonghwa to find some information on a rival organization, Hongjoong had walked into Seonghwa's bedroom with an orange envelope in his hands, but Seonghwa wasn't there when he'd gotten there.</p><p>Where the hell did he go? A frown formed on his brow as he thought to himself.</p><p>Walking out of the bedroom, Hongjoong made his way down the hall to the living area. He caught a glimpse of Seonghwa in the corner of his eye, lounging outside beside the pool in a pair of black swim shorts, a single bucket hat covering his face. Hongjoong huffed out slightly, then walked over to the sliding glass door, grabbing the handle and sliding it open. He stepped out onto the concrete of the patio and made his way to Seonghwa.</p><p>"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong began as he stopped beside the black-haired male, looking down at him on the lounger. "I have that information you wanted on Jeong Enterprise. The records are surprisingly clean, somehow everything that they've been working on has no digital footprints."</p><p>A subtle grunt came from Seonghwa's throat and he waved his hand dismissively. "Not now... I'm busy here." Seonghwa huffed out, not even bothering to remove the bucket hat from his face.</p><p>Hongjoong bit the inside of his cheek at the response of his lover, he was growing increasingly tired of the snobby attitude of the other male. He took the envelope and smacked it onto the bare skin of Seonghwa's chest.</p><p>Yanking the hat from his face and sitting up, he flashed a glare at Hongjoong. "Yah! What's your deal?"</p><p>"Some of us are actually busy doing work. Your definition of busy is incompetent, lounging by the pool isn't "busy." I spent all morning gathering that information for you. Review it." Hongjoong spoke as he tilted with his head, putting on a fake smile.</p><p>As Hongjoong started to walk away, he could hear that Seonghwa muttered something under his breath. The white-haired male stopped on a dime, turning around and looking at Seonghwa.</p><p>"What did you say?" Hongjoong questioned with squinted eyes.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a cheeky scoff and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. If you didn't hear me the first time, then I guess I won't waste my time repeating myself."</p><p>Hongjoong rubbed his forehead as he let out an annoyed laugh. "You're a fucking prick..." He spat out heading back inside.</p><p>The corner of Seonghwa's mouth curled into a smirk, standing up from the lounger to follow Hongjoong inside with the envelope in his hand.</p><p>"What's your problem today? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, baby boy?" Seonghwa called after Hongjoong with a condescending tone, following the smaller male into the parlor.</p><p>Hongjoong bit his tongue to refrain from snapping back with something snarky. The white-haired male just proceeded towards the bar, getting a small glass, filling it with ice cubes and grabbing a large bottle of rum from the wall of liquor. Seonghwa followed him behind the bar as he set the envelope down. He then took the bottle of rum out of Hongjoong's hand.</p><p>"Didn't you hear me talking to you? And why did you only get a single glass? You're not going to share?" Seonghwa tilted his head, a smirk on his lips as he leaned close to Hongjoong's face.</p><p>Hongjoong shot a glare at the taller male, snatching the bottle back before pouring himself a drink. He still kept his mouth shut even through the incessant prodding of the other male.</p><p>Seonghwa gave a playful pout, reaching out a hand to hook a finger under Hongjoong's chin to make him look at him. "Oh come on... You know the silent treatment doesn't work with me. I could always other sounds come out of that pretty mouth of yours."</p><p>Seonghwa had leaned in to kiss the smaller male, but Hongjoong immediately pulled away and started walking off with the glass of rum in his hand. This didn't settle very well with Seonghwa, so he followed after Hongjoong again, grabbing his hand to stop him.</p><p>"What the hell is your problem? I'm just playing with you a little bit and you're turning the other cheek." Seonghwa sounded frustrated at this point.</p><p>Hongjoong whipped his head around, clearly now looking pissed. "If you don't step off, Seonghwa, we're going to have problems." </p><p>Seonghwa let out an amused laugh. "Wooo... You're spicy today, huh? What's wrong with you?"</p><p>"Nothing that concerns you, not like you'd actually give a shit anyway. Aren't you supposedly busy lounging by the pool?" Hongjoong raised a brow before tossing back the drink in his hand. "I have work to do, attend the meetings you apparently don't have time for." Hongjoong tossed the glass onto the floor, a loud crash echoing through the room as it shattered.</p><p>Seonghwa looked to the ground in shock as the glass shattered at his feet, then looked up at Hongjoong as he left the room with a frown. He immediately stormed after the smaller male, catching up quickly and grabbing him by the back of the collar. Seonghwa yanked him back before moving him to the wall and pinning him against it.</p><p>"Seriously, what the fuck is your problem?!" Seonghwa exclaimed, having enough of the attitude Hongjoong was giving him.</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry. Someone apparently doesn't like it when I use the same arrogant demeanor as they do." Hongjoong said with an innocent smile when he looked up at Seonghwa. "Ask yourself what the problem is before you start pinning this on me."</p><p>Seonghwa shot a hand up, grabbing Hongjoong by the chin firmly. "I'm getting sick and tired of how you're speaking to me. I haven't done a damn thing to you. Extinguish your fire before I do it for you." Seonghwa snapped with anger behind his voice.</p><p>Hongjoong let out a cheeky laugh, completely unfazed by the whole situation. "And what are you planning on doing about it? Please, enlighten me. If you're going to threaten me, you better hope it's a fucking promise." Hongjoong spat out as he ripped his face from Seonghwa's grasp. "If you have nothing further to say, I really must get ready for the first meeting of today."</p><p>Seonghwa licked his bottom lip as he tried to keep his composure. After staring down the smaller male for a long while, he finally stepped back and gestured with his head for Hongjoong to go.</p><p>"Alright then... Remember to use sunscreen, wouldn't want you to get burned." Hongjoong remarked in a snarky manner before walking off.</p><p>The taller male watched his lover walk off down the hallway, anger still brewing in his gut. He didn't know what Hongjoong's problem was, but he wasn't going to just let him slide like that.</p><p>____________________</p><p>Later that evening</p><p>____________________</p><p>The sun had completely set beyond the horizon, the dark sky of night overlooking the earth as it got later.</p><p>Hongjoong had returned from town after holding a meeting with one of Seonghwa's clients, later than intended. As much as he hated that he was slowly getting more involved with the business, at least it would keep him busy and away from Seonghwa as much as possible.</p><p>Kicking off his black leather dress shoes at the door, Hongjoong heard the sound of someone clearing their throat from behind him. Hongjoong raised a brow, seeming displeased to make eye contact with Seonghwa. </p><p>The taller male had looked as if he was preparing for bed. Seonghwa's black hair had been freshly washed, still damp as it hung in his eyes. He wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips. He didn't seem very happy that Hongjoong had come home later than he said he was going to.</p><p>"Where have you been? You were supposed to be home over three hours ago." Seonghwa said with a frown. "You didn't answer your phone either."</p><p>"The meeting was over fairly quickly, but I stuck around for a couple of drinks. I learned a bit more information than I had originally planned, but that benefits us I guess. Mr. Kang was good company, I see why you work with him." Hongjoong said with a simple shrug.</p><p>Seonghwa got a look in his eyes that showed a glint of jealousy. "Mr. Kang? Yeosang Kang? I thought you were meeting with Mr. Jung."</p><p>"I did, but Mr. Kang was with him, apparently they're partnering together to profit more business. Mr. Jung had to leave early for another meeting, but Mr. Kang stayed behind and offered to buy me some drinks." Hongjoong made a weird face while he spoke.</p><p>"He bought some drinks... So you had a couple of drinks, and that took three hours longer?" Seonghwa clenched his jaw slightly as he nodded. "What else aren't you telling me?"</p><p>"What are you talking about? I told you everything that happened. What's so wrong with a drink? It's not like I fucked him." Hongjoong said with a scoff. "You really think that I would do that?"</p><p>"I never said you did, but you denying it like that is making me think otherwise." Seonghwa licked his bottom lip with a slight growl. "What took you three fucking hours, Hongjoong? I won't ask you again."</p><p>"Nothing happened, Seonghwa! Jesus, lay off! I swear I didn't sleep with him! I wouldn't do that to you!" Hongjoong exclaimed and frowned up at Seonghwa. "Besides,  what would it matter anyway? The only time you have a regard for what I do is when I'm doing your fucking work for you!"</p><p>A bitter smirk curled the corners of Seonghwa's mouth as he got into Hongjoong's face. "It matters because YOU are MY husband. You are MY property, you belong to ME and no one else."</p><p>"I am NO ONE'S property, I'm not a fucking object, I don't belong to you or anyone. But that's typical of you, everything you come across just automatically belongs to you, right? Remember when you actually treated me like a human being? Remember when you actually had respect for me?" Hongjoong shoved a finger into Seonghwa's chest as he snapped. "Oh, right. You don't remember because the only fucking thing that matters to you is the money and power!"</p><p>Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong's wrist roughly, shooting an intense look down at the smaller male. "You act like I don't care about you, and you have no idea how wrong you are! Everything I do is FOR YOU! The world I am making for us is all for you!"</p><p>"That's fucking rich!" Hongjoong scoffed with a laugh before ripping his wrist away. "What happened to turning the company around? What happened to all the promises that you've made once again and broken? Everything you said to me WEEKS ago has proven to be another white lie so you can have unlimited power and money at your disposal!"</p><p>"What are you-"</p><p>"DON'T EVEN DENY IT BECAUSE I VERY CLEARLY REMEMBER YOU SAYING THOSE EXACT WORDS TO ME!" Hongjoong suddenly yelled and smacked Seonghwa's chest. "I TOLD YOU IF YOU DIDN'T FULFILL THIS PROMISE, WE WERE OVER!"</p><p>Seonghwa stood there for a moment in shock, just blinking as he tried to figure out what to say to that.</p><p>"I'VE BECOME NOTHING BUT AN ASSET TO YOU ONCE AGAIN! YOU USE ME ONLY WHEN IT'S CONVENIENT FOR YOUR CORRUPT OPERATION! YOU'RE A FUCKING PRICK!" Hongjoong shouted before he started to storm off towards his room.</p><p>Seonghwa immediately followed after him, grabbing his wrist to stop him in his tracks. Hongjoong whipped around and shoved Seonghwa back pretty hard, the taller male almost losing his balance as he stumbled back. Seonghwa stood there with wide eyes after he caught his balance again, he was speechless from being shoved back.</p><p>"Don't touch me. Whatever romantic relationship we have, whatever relationship we have in general, it's over." Hongjoong said with a lump growing in his throat, starting to choke on his words. "No more promises, no more lies. Everything between us? Strictly professional." Hongjoong bit down on his lip hard and looked away, his face scrunching up slightly as tears started to fall from his eyes.</p><p>Seonghwa felt a sharp pain ripple through his chest, it felt as if he'd gotten shot right there as he huffed out with shock. "Joong... You can't be serious."</p><p>"I'm as serious as I can be." Hongjoong sobbed softly as he looked back at Seonghwa, throwing his hands up. "You're thriving in the life that you swore you didn't want to live. Ever since you stepped up, I've been expendable..."</p><p>"You're not expendable, Joong," Seonghwa said as he got closer to the smaller male, placing a hand on the nape of his neck. "I admit, I did break the promise I made, but you have to understand-"</p><p>"Understand what? The only thing I understand is the disregard you have for me. You say you're doing all of this stuff for me, but I don't see what exactly it is that you're doing for me. There's not one bit of proof you can even provide. You're making an abundance of money for yourself, running the company how you want, and I've just been an aid to it all." Hongjoong just shook his head, his head falling as he looked at his feet.</p><p>"What do you mean? I've done everything for you. Please, I'll change. I'll do anything for you, just tell me what you want and I'll do it. You can't leave me, Joong. I told you I won't let you leave me again." Seonghwa himself was starting to tear up as he tried to make Hongjoong look at him, but the smaller male refused.</p><p>Hongjoong twisted the ring from his finger on his left hand and pulled it off, soft sobs still escaping from his mouth. He then grabbed Seonghwa's hand, placing the ring inside his hand before closing his fist.</p><p>Seonghwa looked down at his fist, then back up at Hongjoong as he shook his head. "Joong... Please..."</p><p>Hongjoong just turned on his heels, walking into his room and shutting the door, the soft click of the lock sounding. Hongjoong pressed his back against the door and slid down to the floor, completely breaking down at that point.</p><p>The sounds of sobs from the other male could be heard from outside the room, then the sound of footsteps walking away down the hall only made his heart ache more. This isn't what Hongjoong wanted to do, but he was tired of the lies, the empty promises, tired of fighting for something that only hurt him more in the end.</p><p>Ever since Seonghwa had taken over, he had completely changed. He didn't treat Hongjoong like a lover for those following weeks, he treated him as another employee that worked beneath him, and it seemed very cleary that's all that Hongjoong was to him. Every bit of passion they once had, the respect and regard for one another, it had completely vanished.</p><p>Hongjoong just wanted things to go back to how they were, but he knew that wouldn't ever happen. He missed the small moments they had, the smiles, the gentle embraces, their intimate moments, and the way Seonghwa would look at him with love in his eyes. </p><p>None of that existed anymore. The memories hurt more than what Hongjoong had just done.</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(A/N: this chapter is going to be REALLY long. sorry!)</p><p>It had been about two weeks since Hongjoong finally called off the intimacy between the two. As Hongjoong said, they kept their relationship strictly professional. Once he was able to find a place of his own, he would leave Seonghwa's home for good, and things between them would settle down. Neither one showed just how devastating it was to them, there were still a lot of feelings there, but Hongjoong didn't listen to the attempts that Seonghwa made to fix things.</p><p>Normally, Hongjoong would give in and they would work on things, but the sense of betrayal hanging heavy on his heart was too great to forgive. He would forever respect Seonghwa and do anything that was asked of him, but Seonghwa wasn't available the way he needed him. There was no room for intimacy, only professionalism.</p><p>One morning while Hongjoong was still asleep in his own bed, he could hear the vibrations of his phone going off on the nightstand next to him. With his eyes only half-open, he rolled over in bed and grabbed the phone in his hand. He didn't recognize the number on the screen, but he decided that he would answer it anyway.</p><p>"Mm... Hello?" His voice was a bit raspy in a tired manner.</p><p>"Did I wake you?" A familiar smooth, deep voice sounded on the other line.</p><p>Hongjoong frowned slightly as he sat up in bed, recognizing who it was almost immediately. "Mr. Kang? How did you-"</p><p>"I got your contact information from Mr. Jung, I hope that's alright."</p><p>"Um... Yes, that's alright. Is there something that I can help you with? Is there something in the contract we need to go over?" Hongjoong replied, running a hand through his white hair.</p><p>"Actually, I'm not calling about business..."</p><p>Hongjoong raised his brows a bit and blinked. "Uh... Well, then what can I help you with, sir?"</p><p>"I enjoyed having drinks with you a couple of weeks ago, I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner at my home tonight."</p><p>Hongjoong was shocked by the man's proposal, he hesitated on an answer because he had no idea what he would say to that.</p><p>"I mean, if you're not interested..."</p><p>"No! It's not that I'm not interested, I just didn't expect something like this." Hongjoong swallowed hard, lowering his voice just in case Seonghwa was nearby to hear the conversation. "Who else is going to be there?"</p><p>"Just you and I..."</p><p>Hongjoong bit on his lip in thought, contemplating whether or not he should accept or not. After a small moment of silence, he let out a small sigh. "Alright, I'll join you for dinner tonight. What time should I come by?"</p><p>"Don't worry about finding your way here, I'll send a car to pick you up around seven o'clock. After all, I do know where you're staying." The man chuckled softly on the other end.</p><p>"I-I... Alright. 7 o'clock then, I'll be ready." </p><p>"I'll see you tonight, Hongjoong. I look forward to it..." The other male said softly before hanging up the phone.</p><p>Hongjoong dropped his phone into his lap, biting on the inside of his cheek as he thought about what he had just agreed to. If Seonghwa found out, it wasn't going to be pretty, and he didn't want to hurt him anymore.</p><p>It's just dinner, Hongjoong... Nothing more than that. You aren't doing anything wrong. Hongjoong tried to reassure himself with his thoughts. A part of him knew that even if it was something more, he had the freedom to do so, but at the same time, his first thought was about Seonghwa, how he would feel about it.</p><p>This is my life... Not his... I can do what I want. Hongjoong convinced himself that it would be alright, then finally got up out of bed so he could start his day.</p><p>The nerves he had about the dinner later in the night vibrated in his gut, he didn't know how it was going to turn out, and he was honestly a bit scared.</p><p>_____________________</p><p> </p><p>When he finished all the work that he needed to get done, Hongjoong returned to his room so he could freshen up before the car to pick him up arrived.</p><p>Hongjoong made his way into the bathroom, undoing the buttons on his shirt before stripping it off and tossing it to the floor. Taking in a deep breath, he walked to the shower and turned it on, then proceeded to strip off the rest of his clothing.</p><p>He stepped into the shower, closing his eyes when the warmth of the water flowed over his body. It was a slight sense of relief from the stressful day that he had, it was almost as if the water was just washing all of his problems down the drain.</p><p>After he finished up in the shower, he twisted the knob to turn off the water and stepped out. Hongjoong grabbed a towel from the rack beside the shower and started to dry himself off so he could finish getting ready. He sprayed his body with a musky sweet cologne, then started slipping on the clothes he laid out.</p><p>Hongjoong slipped on a slim pair of black pants, held up with a white belt, a grey thin, baggy, long-sleeved shirt with a deep V neck connected together by strings, the front of the shirt was tucked into the waistband, and a pair of grey leather boots. He styled his soft white hair in an elegant, brushed back fashion. Topping off the look with a silver chain choker and a pair of earrings, he was finally ready to go.</p><p>Hongjoong checked the time on his phone, and it was just five minutes before seven o'clock, so he figured he would head out to the front to wait for the car. He shoved the phone into the back pocket of his pants, then proceeded to walk to the door of his bedroom.</p><p>When Hongjoong opened the door, he was met face to face by Seonghwa, who had a single brow raised on his face. Seonghwa tilted his head slightly as he licked his bottom lip, looking the smaller male up and down. The black-haired male then leaned his face towards Hongjoong's neck, sniffing at the musky sweet cologne on him. Seonghwa knew he only wore that cologne when he was going out on a date, he had worn it many times when they would go out together, Seonghwa knew the intoxicating aroma by heart.</p><p>Standing up straight, Seonghwa looked down at Hongjoong, seeming very displeased. "Where are you going out like that?"</p><p>"I-I..." Hongjoong stammered a bit. "I'm meeting with a client..."</p><p>"Tch..." Seonghwa shook his head at the response, gritting his teeth. "You're lying to me. I know that cologne, I know it too well. Who are you going to see?"</p><p>Hongjoong knew he couldn't lie to Seonghwa, so he decided the truth would be better than the lie. "I'm having dinner with... With Yeosang Kang..."</p><p>Seonghwa suddenly looked away so Hongjoong wouldn't see the hurt forming in his eyes. He gave a subtle nod, then stepped to the side out of the doorway. "Alright then... Have fun..."</p><p>Hongjoong could sense that Seonghwa wasn't at all happy with this, it made his chest ache a bit. "Seonghwa, I... I don't have to go if you don't-"</p><p>The sound of a car horn outside made Seonghwa look down the hall towards the front door. The black-haired male drew a shaky breath, struggling to keep his composure. "Just go... Enjoy yourself."</p><p>"Seonghwa..."</p><p>"Hongjoong, just go. Leave." Seonghwa said in a bitter tone then walked off towards his room, disappearing into the room and slamming the door.</p><p>Hongjoong bit down on his lip hard, a lump growing in his throat, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he sighed out. Finally, he cleared his throat, quickly pulling himself back together before he headed for the front door.</p><p>He made his way down the long concrete walkway that led out to the circle drive, a wine-colored Nissan Altima waiting patiently for him. Opening the back passenger, he slid into the car with a stressed sigh.</p><p>"Nice to meet you, Hongjoong Kim, I'll be your driver for the evening, Vernon." The driver said with a smile as he looked at the smaller male in the back seat.</p><p>"Vernon... Just drive, alright? I'm not in the mood for a chat." Hongjoong put bluntly and looked out the window.</p><p>The driver nodded immediately, turning back to face in front of him and pulling off down the driveway. As they pulled away, Hongjoong couldn't help but stare back at the mansion, the thought of Seonghwa embedded in his mind. How hurt he looked, the way he didn't even put up a fight, Hongjoong couldn't figure out if he was making a mistake or not.</p><p>After about an hour of driving, the driver turned onto a narrow road lined with a thick brush of various trees. Before long, they broke through the line of trees, and the area opened up to an open lot with a large victorian style home that was almost big enough to be a mansion. The lot was dotted with various bushed of flowers. They pulled around into a circle drive that laid directly in front of a grand pair of steps leading up to the home.</p><p>When the car came to a stop, Vernon had gotten out of the car, quickly rounding to the other side of the car to let Hongjoong out. Hongjoong stepped out of the car, taking in the grand detail of this historic-looking home. Before long, a man came out through the front door, it was Yeosang.</p><p>As Yeosang was coming down the stairs with a welcoming smile, Hongjoong had a chance to take in the blonde-haired male's appearance. Yeosang was dressed in a sheer, white long-sleeve dress shirt that was loosely tucked into the waistband of a pair of dark blue jeans, white Italian dress shoes upon his feet. His hair was styled in a relaxed, almost messy fashion, but it fit him very well.</p><p>Hongjoong couldn't help but notice how beautiful this man was, it was almost like Yeosang was blessed by the divines, it made his cheeks heat up very slightly.</p><p>Yeosang came to a stop in front of Hongjoong, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Welcome to my beautiful home. You look..." Yeosang paused for a moment to look over the white-haired male. "Amazing. Beyond amazing..."</p><p>Hongjoong looked down at his feet, biting down on the soft flesh of his lip as he cleared his throat. "I-I, uh... Thank you."</p><p>"Shy, are we? I understand. We only just met through a fellow colleague not too long ago. I apologize if this is awkward to you, but I wanted to see you again." Yeosang reached out a hand, hooking a finger under Hongjoong's chin to make him look up. "Shall we go inside and have dinner?"</p><p>Hongjoong could feel a weird sensation vibrating in his gut, pulling his face away gently. "Ah... Yes. I'm starving." Hongjoong replied with a slight smile.</p><p>Yeosang then held out his arm, a charming smile curling upon his lips as he waited for Hongjoong. The white-haired male hesitated for a brief moment before hooking his hand around Yeosang's arm. He was then led up the stairs and into the home.</p><p>Once inside, Yeosang led the smaller male down a grand hallway, then walked into a large dining area that was the size of a small house itself. The victorian vintage decor was incredibly beautiful, almost something straight out of one of those home magazines.</p><p>The soft sound of Mozart played in the air from a record player in the corner of the room, the table was already set with plates of food set side by side, two glasses of red wine waiting as well.</p><p>As the two sat down at the table, Hongjoong wanted to compliment the home. "Your home is absolutely gorgeous, Mr. Kang."</p><p>"Please, just call me Yeosang. We don't need formality here. Let's just enjoy the food and get to know one another." Yeosang replied with a smile, giving a small nod.</p><p>"Oh... Alright, Yeosang." Hongjoong corrected himself with a slight smile, then started to dig into the food. "This all looks wonderful, thank you for inviting me."</p><p>"No, thank you for accompanying me tonight. You've just made my week." Yeosang said before taking a sip of wine.</p><p>Hongjoong blushed a bit awkwardly, he was picking up on the blonde-haired male's advances, but he didn't want to acknowledge them too much. He was still bothered by the thought of Seonghwa in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>As the next couple of hours went by, Hongjoong started to relax a bit more. They finished dinner, a few glasses of wine later, and now they were just talking about each other's lives.</p><p>"So yeah... I discovered I had a knack for finding out things I wasn't supposed to know, and when I figured out that there was a job for this kind of thing, I jumped right into it. Oh, how it's totally fucked my life." Hongjoong said with a laugh, rubbing his forehead slightly.</p><p>Yeosang was so entranced by the white-haired male, he just grinned as he leaned on the table with one of his elbows. "Your laugh is so enlightening, it's almost prettier than the music."</p><p>Hongjoong tried to fight off a smile but to no avail. The more the other male began to flirt, the more he was starting to flirt back. "The only thing prettier than the music is you, but you aren't ready for that conversation yet."</p><p>"Oh, is that so?" Yeosang replied with a cheeky laugh, tilting his head.</p><p>"I don't tell lies. Or, at least I try not to." Hongjoong said with a shrug, sipping his wine with his left hand.</p><p>Yeosang was quick to notice that the wedding band was missing from Hongjoong's finger, that was all the confirmation he needed to try and get closer to him.</p><p>"Hongjoong, would you like to dance with me?" Yeosang leaned a bit closer to Hongjoong, holding out a hand to him.</p><p>Hongjoong looked down at his hand then shook his head. "Oh... No, no. I don't dance. I'm okay with just talking."</p><p>"Come on, I'll teach you." Yeosang persisted, grabbing ahold of Hongjoong's hand gently and standing up with him.</p><p>Hongjoong was pulled away from the table by Yeosang, resisting slightly. "No, seriously. I can't dance."</p><p>Yeosang grabbed ahold of both of the smaller male's hands and placed them around his neck, his own hands resting upon Hongjoong's waist as he pulled him into his chest. Hongjoong widened his eyes slightly as he was now just inches away from the blonde-haired male's face.</p><p>"Just sway like this with me..." Yeosang said in a soft tone, starting to sway back and forth with Hongjoong. "There's nothing to it."</p><p>After a bit, Hongjoong finally relaxed into the dance, getting a better feel of it all. He had to admit he enjoyed this feeling of warmth and vulnerability of the moment, the way that Yeosang held him like a delicate flower, the way their bodies moved in perfect unison.</p><p>Yeosang then spun the smaller male in a circle, a laugh of enjoyment coming from Hongjoong when he faced Yeosang again. The blonde-haired male then adjusted his hands a bit before sending Hongjoong into a dip, smiling widely at his reaction.</p><p>When Yeosang pulled Hongjoong back up, their faces were just centimeters apart. Hongjoong seemed to suddenly freeze when he noticed that Yeosang was now staring at his lips. Hongjoong could feel his heart thud in his chest, he didn't know if he should pull away or not. Before he could even protest, Yeosang had leaned in and connected his soft lips against his.</p><p>The kiss didn't last very long before Hongjoong pulled away, putting a hand to his mouth and shaking his head. "I can't do this. I'm sorry, I can't."</p><p>Yeosang let go of Hongjoong with a slight frown. "Is it something I did? Did I do something wrong?"</p><p>"No... Listen, thank you for everything, but I can't do this with you. You're not the one I'm in love with..." Hongjoong took a step back, looking down at his feet. "There's only one man in my life that I love, and I abandoned him... I'm sorry, Yeosang, I just can't."</p><p>Yeosang made a disappointed face but gave an understanding nod. "I get it. I apologize for my advances, I got ahead of myself."</p><p>"Please... I would just like to go home now. Tonight was fun, but I need to go back." Hongjoong scratched the back of his neck, he couldn't even look up at Yeosang now.</p><p>"Of course. Vernon should still be outside with the car. Just ask him to take you home." Yeosang said with a gentle smile.</p><p>"Thank you..." Hongjoong gave a subtle nod, then quickly turned on his heels and walked out of the room.</p><p>After asking Vernon to take him home, he was already in the car, staring out of the window as tears flowed down his face. He regretted the choice he made, every choice he made for that matter. As much as he tried to deny his love for Seonghwa, he would never be able to love anyone other than him, and he had just tossed him away for a moment of temptation.</p><p>When they got back to Seonghwa's estate, Hongjoong quickly thanked Vernon before rushing inside. It was already super late at night, Seonghwa would probably be in bed already, but he just hoped that he was awake for some reason.</p><p>With tears still coming down his face, he jogged down the hall to Seonghwa's bedroom, opening the door and to his surprise, the lights were still on, and Seonghwa was sitting on the edge of his bed with a bottle of whiskey in his hand.</p><p>After hearing his door open, followed by the sounds of sobs, Seonghwa looked up to see the smaller male standing in his doorway, sniffing as Hongjoong sobbed. Out of concern, Seonghwa stood up as he set the bottle down on his nightstand.</p><p>"What happened? Are you okay?" Seonghwa questioned as he took a step towards Hongjoong.</p><p>Hongjoong immediately rushed over to Seonghwa, colliding into him as he threw his arms tightly around Seonghwa. "I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I'm so difficult..."</p><p>Seonghwa blinked in shock as he looked down at Hongjoong. He didn't know what to do at first, but finally wrapped his arms around the smaller male and hugged him tightly.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, Seonghwa... I regret everything I've done. I can't love anyone else besides you, please forgive me." Hongjoong sobbed into Seonghwa's chest.</p><p>Seonghwa felt his chest clench as he held the hysterical male in his arms. "Joong... Stop crying and look at me..."</p><p>It took a while for Hongjoong to compose himself before he looked up at Seonghwa with red, puffy eyes, soft hiccups escaping from his mouth.</p><p>Seonghwa placed both hands on each side of Hongjoong's face, looking him in the eyes. "You're a fucking idiot... You're reckless, your attitude gives me a splitting headache, you're so damn stubborn and you get on my nerves every second of every day. But that's what I love about you, you challenge my authority and piss me off." Seonghwa said with a slight chuckle.</p><p>"I'm so sorry..." Hongjoong said with a saddened frown.</p><p>"Stop being sorry. I don't want you to change the person you are because I'm in love with the person you already are."</p><p>"Do you forgive me?" Hongjoong questioned as he tilted his head a bit.</p><p>"No... I don't. But that doesn't mean I'm going to refuse your apology and push you away. What you did hurt me more than you think it did, and it's going to take time for me to fully forgive you, but I'm more than willing to work on it." Seonghwa gave a subtle smile.</p><p>Hongjoong sighed a bit then gave a nod, furrowing his brows before looking at his feet... "I understand..."</p><p>"Stop sulking, big baby." Seonghwa rolled his eyes a bit, he needed to console the other male so he would stop behaving like this.</p><p>Seonghwa reached a hand down and tapped on Hongjoong's inner thigh, signaling for him to jump up. Hongjoong immediately jumped up, and Seonghwa supported him with his arms as he carried the smaller male to his bed.</p><p>Seonghwa sat on his bed before laying down with Hongjoong laying on top of his chest, holding him securely. Hongjoong buried his face into Seonghwa's neck, closing his eyes with another sigh. Seonghwa pressed his lips against the lobe of the smaller male's ear, humming a soft tune in his ear while rubbing his back soothingly.</p><p>After a while, Hongjoong had calmed down enough to where he just fell right to sleep on top of Seonghwa, and Seonghwa himself had even passed out after the alcohol finally caught up to him. Seonghwa didn't forgive him for what he'd done, but he wanted to hold him in his arms more than anything at that point.</p><p>They were both at fault. Seonghwa had pushed Hongjoong so far away, lied to him, broken promises, and betrayed his lover in more ways than one. Hongjoong had constantly pushed Seonghwa past his limits, demanded so much from him, and his patience was very thin with Seonghwa.</p><p>They both had done things that were not healthy for a relationship, but if they really tried to work through everything together, they could somehow make it work the final time around.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the next few weeks, Seonghwa and Hongjoong had agreed to start going through marriage counseling. They didn't want their relationship to end, but in order to prevent that from happening, they needed serious help to learn how to function as a loving, accepting couple.</p><p>The first few sessions were very rocky as they were trying to search out each other's flaws, but the more they stuck to the counseling, the easier it was to communicate and work through their usual petty squabbles. </p><p>Hongjoong was becoming more accepting of the way Seonghwa was doing his work, he didn't push him as much, he learned to be more patient with him. Seonghwa had started making more time for his husband, treating him with more respect and putting him over his work every time, treating him more as a husband than an employee. He was learning to keep true to his word than finding loopholes. </p><p>Everything was progressing smoothly, but that was going to be jostled by a lingering problem that hadn't been swept under the rug yet.</p><p>Just after breakfast one day, Hongjoong had finished the paperwork he had been working on for the past couple of days, so he was going to bring it to Seonghwa to review.</p><p>Walking into Seonghwa's bedroom, looking through the files as he approached the desk. "Okay, so I've finished gathering all we needed to know about that company up north, but I don't know if this-" Hongjoong trailed off when he looked up and didn't see Seonghwa sitting at his desk.</p><p>The smaller male was confused because he had just been there not too long ago. He then felt a pair of hands grab onto his hips from behind and a pair of soft lips against his ear.</p><p>"Got you... Hands up or I'll shoot." Seonghwa's voice taunted in a playful manner.</p><p>Hongjoong smirked a bit as he tossed the paperwork onto Seonghwa's desk, then he turned around to face the taller male. "And if I don't put my hands up?" </p><p>"I suggest you do before I have to use force," Seonghwa spoke in a seductive tone, leaning his face closer to Hongjoong's</p><p>The white-haired male gave a small laugh before finally lifting his hands into the air. Seonghwa reached out and grabbed Hongjoong's wrists softly, putting them behind Hongjoong's back and pinning them there with his hands. He then brought the smaller male close, placing a sweet, passion-filled kiss upon the soft flesh of his lips. Longing sighs escaped from their mouths as the kiss became more and more heated. </p><p>The moment was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. One of Seonghwa's many assistants had entered the room.</p><p>"Sir..." The man began while clearing his throat. "Your first client has arrived for their appointment. Are you busy?"</p><p>Seonghwa broke the kiss with an annoyed sigh. "Yes, I'm-"</p><p>"No, we're not," Hongjoong said with an awkward laugh, looking up at Seonghwa as he gently pulled away from his grasp. "Don't keep them waiting. We have all the time in the world to carry this on later."</p><p>"But, Joong-" Seonghwa began before the smaller male cut him off with a gentle peck on the lips. </p><p>"Go on... I need to make a few phone calls anyways. We'll finish later for sure." Hongjoong reassured with a smile.</p><p>Seonghwa let out a small grunt before finally nodding his head. "Alright... I'll try to get through these appointments quickly then."</p><p>Hongjoong reached out a hand, gently tapping Seonghwa's cheek. "You better. You know I'm not patient."</p><p>As Hongjoong started walking away, he could hear the taller male let out a slight laugh from his remark. Running a hand through his hair, he started walking down the hall towards the living area where the first client would be waiting. He came out into the living area, laying eyes on two men that were all too familiar to him.</p><p>Standing up from the white leather couch, two young men greeted Hongjoong with a subtle bow of respect. Hongjoong froze a bit when he saw who they were. Mr. Jung and Yeosang stood side by side, hands folded at their waists politely.</p><p>"Ah, Mr. Kim. It's lovely to see you again. Is he free for our scheduled appointment?" Mr. Jung said with a smile.</p><p>"Er..." Hongjoong hesitated slightly as he couldn't break the awkward eye contact with Yeosang who was just smiling at him. "Yeah... You may go see him now."</p><p>"Alright." Mr. Jung said as he started to walk away. He paused for a minute to look back at Yeosang when he didn't follow. "Mr. Kang, aren't you coming?"</p><p>"Oh, no. I need to have a chat with Mr. Kim briefly before I go in. You go ahead." Yeosang nodded with a smile at Mr. Jung.</p><p>Oh god... Please, no... Hongjoong thought to himself in a bit of a panic.</p><p>"Oh, well, alright." Mr. Jung nodded his head then disappeared down the hall.</p><p>When Yeosang looked back over at Hongjoong, he immediately started to walk away towards the parlor without a single word, and Yeosang didn't hesitate to follow him.</p><p>Hongjoong bit on the inside of his cheek as he walked into the parlor, making his way around the bar to get a drink.</p><p>Standing on the opposite side of the bar, Yeosang spoke up. "Would you mind pouring me a glass as well."</p><p>Hongjoong just let out a sigh, grabbing two glasses from below the bar and setting them on the counter. "What would you like?" He said as he looked up at Yeosang.</p><p>"Hmm... Just a bit of rum, nothing more." Yeosang replied with a subtle shrug.</p><p>The white-haired male nodded then proceeded to pour equal amounts of the designer liquor into each. Hongjoong picked up his glass in one hand before sliding the other glass over towards Yeosang. The blonde-haired male gave a small smile, picking up the glass and taking a sip of it, his eyes never leaving Hongjoong.</p><p>Drawing a deep breath, Hongjoong decided to break the awkwardness in the room. "What are you doing here, Yeosang? Weren't you specifically instructed not to attend the meeting with Mr. Jung?"</p><p>"I'm not though, right? I simply just tagged along. Nothing ill-intended about that." Yeosang tilted his head and shrugged. "Besides, I figured you would be happy to see me."</p><p>Hongjoong made a weird face as he took a sip from his glass. "Why would I be happy to see you? We had one mistaken date together, there was nothing even there."</p><p>Yeosang's brows furrowed slightly at the words coming from Hongjoong's mouth. "There was something there for me. You may say you felt nothing, but you DID kiss me back."</p><p>"I had more than a few glasses of wine in my system and I was emotionally damaged from separating from my husband, Yeosang." Hongjoong shot back with his eyes squinted. "Who, if you haven't noticed, is the owner of this estate, AND less than two hundred feet from this very room."</p><p>"I'm not sure I see your point. I only wanted to talk to you, I'm not causing any harm here. Besides, wine or not, I saw the enjoyment on your face when we danced together." Yeosang said as he started to round the bar, then stood in front of Hongjoong with a smile.</p><p>"You may not cause any harm, but Seonghwa will once he finds out that you tagged along. Nothing good is going to come from you just simply wanting to talk." Hongjoong tilted his head a bit.</p><p>"I just wanted to see you, that's all. I don't like how things had ended a few weeks ago. I wanted to make up for it." Yeosang put on a slight pout as he got a little bit closer to Hongjoong.</p><p>Hongjoong took a step back in response to this. "You seem to be misreading everything here, Yeosang. I'm working on my marriage, I'm trying to be happy with my husband, please don't do anything that will ruin that for me."</p><p>"What he doesn't know won't hurt him..." Yeosang persisted with a shrug of his shoulders, a smirk curling on his lips.</p><p>Yeosang had gotten close enough to where he had Hongjoong backed up against the bar, both hands on each side of him to prevent him from going anywhere. Hongjoong tried to lean back away from the blonde-haired male, but he couldn't get far because of the bar. </p><p>"Yeosang, I'm serious, if you don't back the fuck off right now, you're going to regret ever coming here," Hongjoong warned, feeling his heart thud in his chest with panic.</p><p>"Why should I? You're not exactly pushing me away." Yeosang replied in a lower tone, leaning his face closer to the white-haired male.</p><p>"Get away from me, Yeosang!" Hongjoong shouted as he tried to shoved Yeosang back, but the other male wasn't budging.</p><p>"Fighting it won't prevent it from happening," Yeosang smirked as he tilted his head.</p><p>Yeosang had leaned in closer, but before he could even attempt to make a move on Hongjoong, the sound of the hammer from a revolver clicking back could be heard from beside them. Both males looked over to the side, seeing Seonghwa standing there with a gun trained right at Yeosang, a glint of primal energy in his eyes. Mr. Jung was standing in the doorway of the parlor with wide eyes.</p><p>"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong said cautiously, swallowing dryly as he blinked with shock.</p><p>"Back the fuck away from him right now..." Seonghwa demanded with a growl.</p><p>Yeosang immediately took a few steps back, putting his hands up in surrender as he cleared his throat. "Mr. Park, I-"</p><p>"I don't want to hear a god damn word out of your mouth." Seonghwa snapped at the blonde-haired male. "Joong... Come here right now."</p><p>Hongjoong pushed off the bar and rushed over to the taller male. Seonghwa grabbed ahold of the smaller male's waist, pulling him in close to his chest.</p><p>"Give me one good reason not to put a bullet between your eyes right now... You were warned, Mr. Kang, you were told to never come around him again. Yet, here you are in MY FUCKING HOME! YOUR HANDS ON MY HUSBAND!?" Seonghwa's voice gradually raised into an angry shout.</p><p>"I-I... Sir, I didn't mean anything by it..." Yeosang tried to reason with him.</p><p>Suddenly, an ear-shattering sound had erupted through the tension in the room. Hongjoong shut his eyes tightly, hiding his face into Seonghwa's chest and fearing the worst. Unharmed, Yeosang dropped to his knees, hands covering his head as he cowered in fear. Seonghwa had raised the gun to the ceiling and let off a single gunshot.</p><p>Seonghwa then set the gun on the counter of the bar, now wrapping both arms around his husband in a protective manner. At this point, 4 large men in black suits strapped with heavy guns came rushing into the room after hearing the gunshot.</p><p>"Get him out of here... Lock him in the basement, I'll have a friendly little chat with him later." Seonghwa barked, the primal look still in his eyes as he stared Yeosang down.</p><p>All four of the men rushed over to the cowering male on the floor, forcing him up to carry him out of the room as instructed. Hongjoong had looked up to watch Yeosang being dragged off with a struggle, he was yelling and fighting back as much as he could. A strange, heavy weight of guilt settling in his chest.</p><p>"Mr. Jung... You're dismissed." Seonghwa spat out.</p><p>"But, sir-" Mr. Jung fell silent when Seonghwa snapped his head and shot a look at him. Without another word, the man immediately left the room to get out of there as soon as possible.</p><p>Seonghwa turned his attention back to his lover, his demeanor took a total turn as he softened for Hongjoong. He let go of the smaller male's waist to cup his hands on Hongjoong's cheeks, a slight look of concern in his eyes.</p><p>"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Seonghwa asked softly before placing a loving kiss upon Hongjoong's forehead.</p><p>"I-I... I'm fine." Hongjoong replied with a slight nod. "Seonghwa... You're not going to kill him are you?"</p><p>Seonghwa frowned slightly as he looked into his lover's eyes. "He shouldn't have touched a single hair on your head... He was warned, he ignored my authority. Whatever I see fit will happen to him."</p><p>Hongjoong looked down at his feet, biting down on the inside of his cheek.</p><p>"Don't tell me you're defending him now..." Seonghwa's eyes squinted with suspicion.</p><p>"I'm not. I just could've prevented all of this happening if I didn't make that stupid decision..." Hongjoong said softly, shaking his head a bit.</p><p>"Hey... Stop that. Don't blame yourself, alright? He's going to get what's coming to him for not taking a hint. No one lays a finger on my husband without my say. Your safety and wellbeing are more important than anything to me." Seonghwa stroked the smaller male's cheeks with his fingers. "Don't worry about what the consequences are. He knew what he was messing with and continued to ignore that, alright?"</p><p>Hongjoong let out a soft sigh before nodding his head. "Alright... I'm glad you came when you did... I was scared."</p><p>"You don't have to be scared anymore. I'll handle this, this won't happen to you again, and I'll make sure of it." Seonghwa reassured with determination in his tone. "I'm gonna go have a little chat with our friend downstairs... Go take a bath and relax."</p><p>Hongjoong gave a slight nod, putting on a smile for his lover. He knew that whatever was going to happen to Yeosang wasn't going to be pretty, but regardless if he lived, when Seonghwa was done, he wouldn't be a problem anymore.</p><p>After Seonghwa gave him a loving peck on the lips, the taller male let go of him and walked out of the parlor. Hongjoong stood there for a moment as he watched him walk away. He let out another sigh, then also made his way out of the parlor to prepare a bath for himself. </p><p>Hongjoong didn't want to think about all of the things that could possibly happen.</p><p> </p><p>****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****</p><p>(A/N: sorry the ending is crap. I didn't know how to end it properly &gt;;3 oh well, hope you enjoyed anyways :)))))) )</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[continuation of chapter 22]</p><p>When Hongjoong had headed down the hall to Seonghwa's bedroom, he could make out the faint cries of pain coming from the room in the basement. He drew a sharp breath, trying not to pay attention to it.</p><p>He made his way into the bathroom, peeling off the shirt he was wearing and throwing it to the floor. Hongjoong walked over to the bathtub, reaching out and twisting the handles of the faucet to turn on the water.</p><p>In the back of his mind, he knew that what was happening was well deserved, but at the same time, he couldn't help but place some of the blame on himself still. If he'd refused to see Yeosang in the beginning, things wouldn't have fallen into place like this. He could've prevented it all with just a simple "no."</p><p>Hongjoong tried to do what Seonghwa said and just relax, but he found that almost impossible. He was more than aware of what was happening below him in the basement, yet there was nothing he could do about it.</p><p>With a sigh, he shut off the water once the tub was filled up enough, proceeding to slip off his pants along with his boxers and kicking them to the side. Hongjoong stepped into the water, then slowly lowered himself into the steaming water. He leaned back against the porcelain of the tub, lowering down a bit into the water as he closed his eyes.</p><p>Even though he tried his hardest to relax, still, the faint sounds of cries could be heard in the deafening silence. Hongjoong's brows furrowed slightly, and the only way he was able to drown out the sounds was sinking lower into the water, allowing the water to cover his ears with his face still above the water.</p><p>After staying in the bath like that for what seemed like hours, Hongjoong finally decided to get out since his nerves had calmed down. Sitting up from the water, he reached down to the drain and pulled it, gurgling sounds of water going down the drain as the water was let out.</p><p>Hongjoong pulled himself to his feet, stepping out of the tub onto the bathmat beside it. He leaned over to the small rack beside the tub and grabbed one of the towels to dry himself off.</p><p>As he was drying off, he could hear the sounds of pounding footsteps coming up the basement steps. Out of curiosity, Hongjoong wanted to know what had happened, after all, the screams had ceased. He just tied the towel around his hips, jogging out of the bathroom. He made his way to the bedroom door, opening it slightly just as he saw a male stumble to the floor in the hallway.</p><p>Hongjoong felt his chest sink when he realized that it was Yeosang. The blonde-haired male was gasping and wheezing for air, his hair and clothes were painted in what was probably his own blood. Hongjoong blinked in shock as Yeosang slowly pulled himself to his feet with a grunt, all he could do was stare.</p><p>Yeosang slowly looked over to the side, meeting eye contact with Hongjoong, displaying the swollen bruises and bloodied wounds on his face.</p><p>"I-I... I... I'm sorry..." Yeosang coughed out before Seonghwa suddenly came up behind him and shoved him forward.</p><p>"Get moving... You don't talk to him, you don't come near him ever again, understand?" Seonghwa barked in an aggressive manner.</p><p>Seonghwa's knuckles showed signs of bruising beneath all of the blood on his hands. It was evident that he'd used more of his own hands than the "toys" he had in the room downstairs.</p><p>"Boys! Get him out of here!" Seonghwa demanded when two of his men had started coming up behind him. They immediately did as he said, grabbing ahold of the blonde-haired male to take him off of the property.</p><p>Hongjoong was just staring in utter shock, he didn't know what to feel at that moment. This was the first time Seonghwa had even let someone live after dealing with them. Yeosang suffered great injuries, but he would definitely live to see another day. This was different for Seonghwa, as brutal as it was, it showed some sort of growth for him. Instead of taking a life, he just taught a very thorough lesson not to cross a line with him.</p><p>Seonghwa looked over at Hongjoong, seeing him still in his bath towel and staring at him with a baffled look upon his face. The taller male let out a soft sigh before walking into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him.</p><p>"I'm sorry... I got a little..." Seonghwa paused for a moment as he looked down at his hands. "Carried away... Let me go clean off." He said before making his way to the bathroom.</p><p>"You didn't kill him..." Hongjoong said softly before following behind Seonghwa into the bathroom.</p><p>"No... I didn't. He crossed a line, yes, but he definitely won't do it again. I just... Didn't think it was necessary." Seonghwa replied as he walked to the sink, washing the blood off of his hands and arms.</p><p>"You didn't think it was necessary?" Hongjoong raised his brows slightly. "I'm sorry, where is the ruthless man I married? He would've never let someone walk away like that."</p><p>After cleaning himself off, Seonghwa then stripped off the bloodied dress shirt, discarding it in the hamper before looking at Hongjoong. "Would you prefer I kill him? Because you know I'm more than happy to."</p><p>"No, no! I just... This is shocking. I don't know if you see it, but you're showing some sort of growth. I don't know what's changed, but you seem to be turning yourself around without even realizing it. I mean, you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, sure, but you're not so quick to play god with someone's life as usual." </p><p>Seonghwa stood there and just stared at Hongjoong for a moment. "I... Hmm..." He looked away as he placed his hands on his hips. "I mean, I guess you're right. I'm getting too soft again."</p><p>Hongjoong walked up to Seonghwa, shaking his head as he placed his hands on the bare skin of his lover's chest. "No, Seonghwa... You don't realize how good this actually is. There's nothing wrong with becoming soft. For once, you chose a better option, you chose not to go the extreme route. That's GOOD, and I'm so proud of you."</p><p>Seonghwa looked down into his lover's eyes before placing a hand on the back of the white-haired male's neck. "You're actually proud of me?"</p><p>"Of course I am... I don't like what happened, but it was justified to an extent. You're changing yourself, allowing yourself to grow for the better, and you have no idea how happy that makes me." Hongjoong nodded with a smile.</p><p>Seonghwa blinked a few times as he tilted his head a bit. When Hongjoong said that he was proud of him, it sparked some sort of feeling inside of him, like he had to continue to improve himself to gain more reactions like this from his lover. He knew exactly how he would get it.</p><p>The corner's of Seonghwa's mouth curled into a smile as he pressed his forehead against Hongjoong's lovingly. "I like it when you're proud of me... I've let you down so many times and all I've gotten was disappointment. I promise I'll do anything to make you even more proud of me."</p><p>"I'm always proud of you when it comes to the little things, Seonghwa... You're my husband, and I love you. I may not tell you that I am, but inside I'm always proud of the little improvements you make." Hongjoong said with a sweet tone, now wrapping his arms loosely around the taller male's neck.</p><p>"I love you so much more... That will never change, and you know that." Seonghwa cooed sweetly.</p><p>Seonghwa placed his hands on the low points of Hongjoong's hips, then leaned his face closer as he connected a loving, open-mouthed kiss with his lips. Hongjoong tightened his arms around Seonghwa's neck as he pressed his body against his and deepened the kiss.</p><p>The increasingly heated kiss and the feeling of bare skin touching bare skin caused the moment to get more intense as they started to crave each other. Seonghwa hooked a finger into the towel around Hongjoong's hips, pulling on it and making it drop to the floor. Seonghwa broke the kiss momentarily to grab ahold of his lover's legs before lifting him up into his arms. Meeting their lips with another heated kiss, Seonghwa carried Hongjoong over to the bathroom sink and sat him down.</p><p>From that point on, the two had spent the whole rest of the day expressing their desperate, lustful desires through back to back rounds, each round more pleasureful and intense than the last. Nothing could keep them apart.</p><p>__________________</p><p>After Hongjoong had finally had enough, he passed out late in the night in Seonghwa's arms, completely exhausted from the whole experience. Seonghwa laid wide awake in bed as he was lost deep in thought, just staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>A couple of hours of thorough contemplation, Seonghwa came to a conclusion on something, he figured it was time to make a big change, not only for his life but for Hongjoong's life as well.</p><p>Seonghwa slowly and carefully moved Hongjoong off of his chest so he wouldn't wake him. It was extremely late at night, but he had quite a few urgent phone calls to make. It was going to be a big change, but it was going to be worth it in the end.</p><p>__________________</p><p>Next day...</p><p>__________________</p><p>Late in the morning the next day, Hongjoong was awakened by the feeling of soft lips kissing on his neck sweetly, an arm wrapping around his chest as he was embraced gently.</p><p>"Wake up, Joong... I have something for you..." Seonghwa muttered through the gentle kisses he was peppering Hongjoong's neck with.</p><p>The smaller male groaned tiredly, he was just a bit sore from the virtually endless rounds from the day before, his energy was nonexistent.</p><p>"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong whined without opening his eyes. "Leave me alone... I'm trying to sleep, whatever it is, it can wait..."</p><p>"No, actually, it can't. You need to wake up, you're going to love it. Please, baby... Wake up." Seonghwa rolled the smaller male over to face him, now placing several pecks on his lips. "Come on."</p><p>Opening his eyes slowly, Hongjoong reached up and put a hand against Seonghwa's lips so he would stop kissing him. "For fuck's sake, Seonghwa... What is it?" Hongjoong sounded a bit grumpy.</p><p>Seonghwa smiled widely as he rolled over to grab a thick orange envelope from the nightstand beside the bed. He then rolled back over, waving it slightly in front of Hongjoong's face.</p><p>"Open it... See what's inside." Seonghwa raised a brow slightly, the wide smile still on his lips.</p><p>Hongjoong sighed out as he grabbed the envelope from Seonghwa, slowly sitting up so he could go through its contents. It was rather heavy, it had more than just a couple papers in it.</p><p>"You're really making me go through your fucking work this late in the morning..." Hongjoong grumbled under his breath as he started to pull everything out.</p><p>Seonghwa sat up, watching his lover with anticipation, he couldn't wait to see his reaction. Hongjoong suddenly got a confused look on his face as he saw a set of passports and plane tickets, he set them down them started to go through the thick stack of papers. The papers were changes of identity with different names, different birth certificates, etcetera.</p><p>"What... What is this?" Hongjoong asked confused, looking over at Seonghwa.</p><p>"Keep looking..."</p><p>Hongjoong blinked a few times before setting all the identity papers down, then noticed the last bundle of papers was a contract. As he read through it, a look of shock came to his face as he suddenly realized what all of this was for.</p><p>Hongjoong looked over at Seonghwa with widened eyes. "You... You handed the company to Hana..?"</p><p>Seonghwa smiled even wider, nodding his head. "I got us entirely new identities as well... We're going to pick everything up and live our lives away from all this chaos. I'm going to give you the life you've always wanted, we're going to completely start over new. The people we used to be, they no longer exist."</p><p>Hongjoong let out a sudden exhale as he was taken back by all of this. "How... How did you do all of this so quickly? Are you being serious right now?"</p><p>"I'm completely serious, Joong... I pulled a few strings, I spent all night gathering this together for us. I'm finally giving you what you've wanted for so long. I had to choose between my work and my husband, and I chose my husband." Seonghwa reached out his hands and cupped them on Hongjoong's cheeks. "I want to start a whole new life with you..."</p><p>"But... You're just throwing everything away for me... Is that really what you want?" Hongjoong furrowed his brows slightly.</p><p>"I would throw the whole world away as long as I had you by my side. We leave for Paris tomorrow morning, and once we do, we're starting new. New identities, a new life, together forever." Seonghwa said with a soft tone.</p><p>Hongjoong's bottom lip quivered slightly as a smile came to his face, tears of joy quickly beginning to fall down his cheeks. He then lurched at Seongwa, throwing his arms around him and tackling him to the bed, a mix of laughs and happy sobs coming from his mouth.</p><p>Seonghwa held the smaller male close, laughing softly as he buried his face into Hongjoong's neck. "I love you, Joong..."</p><p>"I love you too, Seonghwa... I love you so fucking much."</p><p>The chaos had finally come to an end, instead of leading a life of toxicity and bad blood, Seonghwa wanted to give Hongjoong everything he wanted and more by starting a whole new life with him. Everything they had gone through would be stuck in the past, the darkness in their worlds turning to light.</p><p>It was the end of something horrible, and the beginning of something beautiful.</p><p>(A/N: Thank you so much for reading this through the crazy emotional rollercoaster. The first book in the series has come to an end. I really hope you all enjoyed my work on this fanfic. I'll be back with more like this very soon. Thank you again for reading (((((: )</p>
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